Boris Johnson warned no deal Brexit could lead to farmers blocking roads in protest – live news
Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including Boris Johnson’s first visit to Wales as prime minister
Sinn Fein’s president, Mary Lou McDonald, has given a major speech in Belfast this morning on the subject of Brexit and Irish unity. You can read the full text here, but here are the main points.
Political unionism has lost its electoral majority in a series of consecutive elections.
The nationalist people of the north have turned their backs on Westminster and increasingly look to Dublin for leadership.
Last Friday an taoiseach told the MacGill summer school that the government would have to consider a forum on Irish unity in the event of a no deal Brexit.
While the taoiseach has the responsibility to lead the debate on Irish Unity he should appoint an Irish government minister of state with the dedicated and specific responsibility of developing strategies to advance Irish unity and coordinating the government’s all-Ireland policies.
If the British government have factored into their calculations a hard border, then they must factor in a unity referendum as laid out in the Good Friday agreement.
The route back for the north into the EU is clear. Irish unity is the route back to the EU.
The outstanding issues remain the outstanding issues. They are not intractable and do not give any section of the community a win over another section of the community. This is not a game in which a score is kept. Marriage equality for our LGBT brothers and sisters does not denigrate the rights of others to marry. Respecting the rights of Irish speakers does not diminish anyone’s sense of Britishness.
Resolving the past and promoting reconciliation is a threat to no one.
Upshot of that speech by @MaryLouMcDonald is I see your hard Brexit Boris and I’ll raise you a border poll. They will meet for another game of poker
Here is Hilary Benn, the Labour chair of the Commons Brexit committee, on the logic of the government’s position on the likelihood of no deal.
1/2 Boris Johnson says that a No Deal Brexit is a “million to one” possibility. And yet he’s set up a special cabinet committee, meeting daily, to prepare for No Deal which Michael Gove says is now the Government’s “No 1 priority”….
2/2 …so to summarise, the Government’s No. 1 priority is a million to one possibility.