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WATCH: Arlene Foster says Ireland “never had a hard border”

Published 13:09 15 Jan 2019 GMT

Rudi Kinsella
WATCH: Arlene Foster says Ireland “never had a hard border”

Homepolitics

Her comments haven't gone down too well.

DUP leader Arlene Foster is causing quite a stir with her most recent comments ahead of a vote on the Brexit deal on Tuesday evening. Westminster MPs are set to deliver their verdict on the Withdrawal Agreement on Tuesday after the vote was postponed by Theresa May before Christmas following the realisation it was likely to meet with a humiliating defeat. Despite the delay, however, it seems that little has changed on that score. Ahead of the vote, Foster was speaking from Westminster on Tuesday morning about why she feels that her party cannot support Theresa May's Brexit. When discussing the issue, Foster said: "There is no need for the backstop. Lord Lilley has already made reference to the fact that the Irish Prime Minister has indicated that he will not be putting up a hard border on the island of Ireland. "You know, as someone who lived through The Troubles, we never had a hard border in Ireland." She went on to describe the idea of a hard border as "a bit of a nonsense". https://twitter.com/BBCPolitics/status/1085142102009245696 Foster also took to Twitter on Tuesday opinion calling for "a sensible deal which governs our exit from the EU and supports all parts of the UK". https://twitter.com/DUPleader/status/1085112510544572416 Foster's comments come less than 24 hours after Theresa May said that a no-deal Brexit could potentially lead to a United Ireland. Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, May said that a no-deal Brexit would “strengthen the hand” of those who wanted a “border poll” in Northern Ireland.

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WATCH: Arlene Foster says Ireland "never had a hard border"