DUP MP to vote against post-brexit plan

The senior Democratic Unionist Party MP Ian Paisley has said he will vote against Rishi Sunak's revised plan for post-Brexit trade arrangements in Northern Ireland, and that he expects his party colleagues to follow suit.

The MP for North Antrim said he was '' categorically voting against, and I would be surprised if my colleagues don't join me. Paisley had already said he did not believe the plan, sealed last month by Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, met the DUP's seven tests on maintaining Northern Ireland's status in the UK internal market, and he had been expected to vote against it.

He added that the DUP will oppose the plan if it is put to a Commons vote on Wednesday, meaning more pro-Brexit Conservative MPs could rebel.

The DUP and the European Research Group ERG, representing Tory Britons, have not yet given a formal verdict pending an examination of the full legal text of the Windsor framework as it is known.

Paisley said that his examination of the full deal reinforced his initial view about the plan and its failure to address DUP concerns. He said after taking time to study it, and at least one legal opinion on it, and going through the details, and also having conversations and messages back and forward to the secretary of state, I am still of the opinion that it doesn't address any of our seven tests. Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP leader, said on a visit to Washington DC a few days ago, that there are key areas of concern that need clarification, reworking and change as well as further legal text. A senior DUP source told the Sunday Telegraph that the party was likely to vote against the government on Wednesday, several Tory MPs privately suggested they might follow suit.

Concerns have grown among Conservative whips that some Tory MPs could vote against or abstain even though Labour's support guarantees the motion will pass.

Anger is rising within the ERG at ministers using the Stormont brake to limit the imposition of new EU regulations in Northern Ireland as a proxy to have their say on the whole deal.

Peter Bone, the former deputy commons leader, said he was very unhappy about the statutory instrument vote, which was treated as a chance for MPs to have a say on the Windsor framework.

He said that he has not been given a reasonable explanation as to why it is being done that way.