DUP's Sammy Wilson on Brexit: Irish Backstop is a Con Trick

The Irish backstop is nothing but a "con trick" and farmers and businesses should be totally relaxed about a no-deal Brexit, according to the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)'s Sammy Wilson.

At the same time, he added that "in fact we're more alarmed about what is coming out from the EU and especially the Irish government."

His statement came after the Irish Independent newspaper reported on Thursday that the country's government will seek hundreds of millions of euros in special aid from the European Union if Britain withdraws from the block without a deal.

Irish authorities have already informed the European Commission that it would be seeking for emergency aid to deal with the consequences to the Irish trade, in particular for the beef, dairy and fishing sectors, according to the outlet.

The European Union endorsed a proposed deal on 25 November, but it met with strong criticism in the UK House of Commons.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May has postponed the vote in the UK parliament until mid-January in the hope of securing additional guarantees on the Irish border backstop from EU colleagues. The European Union has stressed, however, that the deal would not be renegotiated.

Ireland Wouldn't Want Border to Be Issue Which Fails Brexit Talks - Academic

4 October 2018, 13:06 GMT

The United Kingdom is scheduled to leave the EU on 29 March next year. A transition period, which will see the UK follow the EU trade rules to smooth the path for future trade relations, will last until the end of 2020.

However, the EU has recently floated the idea of extending the transition phase beyond the December 2020 deadline, citing insufficient progress in talks with London.