Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 1 augusT 2019
Boris Johnson visits Belfast as Brexit woes hurt UK economy

By JILL LAWLESS The bloc is equally ada-
Associated Press mant that Brexit deal won't
LONDON (AP) — New British be reopened and the
Prime Minister Boris Johnson backstop must stay.
on Wednesday finished his The stalemate has sent the
rocky debut tour of the U.K. pound plunging to its low-
in Northern Ireland, where est levels in more than two
he faces a doubly difficult years, as economists warn
challenge of restoring the a no-deal Brexit would dis-
collapsed Belfast govern- rupt trade and send Britain
ment and finding a solu- into a deep recession.
tion for the Irish border after The currency was trading
Brexit. around $1.22 Wednesday,
Since he took office a week up slightly from a day ear-
ago, Johnson has been lier but still its lowest level
touring England, Scotland, since March 2017.
Wales and Northern Ire- Business confidence has
land, but it has not been also been battered. Brit-
a triumphal parade. After ain's auto trade body said
facing protests and politi- Wednesday that invest-
cal opposition in Scotland ment in the industry effec-
and Wales, Johnson met tively stopped in the first
Wednesday with the lead- half of this year amid no-
ers of Northern Ireland's deal fears.
five main political parties The Society of Motor Manu-
in hopes of kick-starting ef- facturers and Traders said
forts to restore the suspend- Ireland's DUP party leader Arlene Foster, centre, talks to the media with DUP deputy leader Nigel companies made just 90
ed Belfast administration. Dodds, centre left, and Emma Little-Pengelly, centre right, following a meeting with Britain's Prime million pounds ($110 mil-
Northern Ireland's 1.8 million Minister Boris Johnson at Stormont House in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Wednesday July 31, 2019. lion) of new investments
people have been without Associated Press between January and
a functioning administra- June, compared with an
tion for 2 1/2 years, ever er of the Irish nationalist with the bloc. economy and underpins average annual total of 2.7
since the Catholic-Protes- party Sinn Fein, accused The British government said the peace process that billion pounds. Car produc-
tant power-sharing gov- Johnson of being the DUP's Wednesday that it is set- ended decades of sectar- tion dropped 20.1% in the
ernment collapsed over "gofer." ting aside more than 2 bil- ian violence in Northern Ire- first half of 2019.
a botched green-energy "He tells us he will act with lion pounds ($2.4 billion) to land. "The fear of no deal is caus-
project. The rift soon wid- absolute impartiality. We prepare for leaving the EU. Both Britain and the EU ing investors to sit on their
ened to broader cultural have told him that nobody Treasury chief Sajid Javid have promised there will be hands," said chief execu-
and political issues separat- believes that," she said. said the additional Brexit no hard border after Brexit, tive Mike Hawes.
ing Northern Ireland's British Britain's 2016 vote to leave funds would go to hiring but they disagree about On his tour of the U.K.,
unionists and Irish national- the European Union has 500 border officers, stock- how to avoid it. Johnson was booed by
ists. strained the bonds among piling essential medicines The EU and Johnson's pre- protesters in both the Scot-
Johnson said he would the four nations that make and other areas such as decessor, Theresa May, tish city of Edinburgh and
"do everything I can to up the U.K. A majority of vot- public information. came up with a solution the Welsh city of Cardiff. He
help that get up and run- ers in England and Wales The government plans to known as the backstop was also accused of play-
ning again, because I think backed leaving in the ref- spend 1.1 billion pounds im- — an insurance policy to ing "Russian roulette" with
that's profoundly in the in- erendum, while those in mediately. That comes on guarantee an open bor- the agriculture industry by
terests of people here, of all Scotland and Northern Ire- top of billions spent before der if no other solution can Welsh farmers who face
the citizens here in Northern land voted to remain. Britain's originally sched- be found. But British Brexit- high tariffs on their exports
Ireland." Scotland's nationalist gov- uled departure date of backers loathe the back- to Europe if there is a no-
But a breakthrough did ernment wants to hold a March 29. stop because it locks Britain deal Brexit.
not look imminent. Oppo- vote on independence DUP leader Arlene Foster into EU trade rules to avoid A variety of protesters
nents say Johnson can't from the U.K. if Scotland played down the risk of a customs checks, some- greeted Johnson Wednes-
play a constructive role in is dragged out of the EU no-deal Brexit, saying John- thing they say will stop the day in Northern Ireland,
Northern Ireland because against its will. Similarly, son is "focused on finding U.K. from striking new trade including border residents,
his Conservative govern- nationalists in Northern Ire- a deal and we're here to deals. steelworkers at a Belfast
ment relies on support from land argue there should be help him find that deal." Johnson is refusing to hold shipyard threatened with
the Democratic Unionist a referendum on unifica- She said Brexit must be car- new talks with EU leaders closure and anti-Brexit
Party, the largest of North- tion with the Irish republic ried out "in a way that does unless they agree to scrap demonstrators.
ern Ireland's pro-British par- if there is a damaging no- no damage either to the the backstop and sent Eu- After the meetings, Nich-
ties. Without the votes of deal Brexit. U.K., the Republic of Ire- rope adviser David Frost to ola Mallon, deputy leader
the DUP's 10 lawmakers in Johnson insists the U.K. will land — our neighbors — or Brussels on Wednesday to of the Irish nationalist SDLP
London, Johnson's minor- leave the EU on the sched- the wider European Union." deliver that message. party, said Johnson "gave
ity government would col- uled date of Oct. 31, with A divorce agreement be- Johnson's office said Frost us bluff and bluster around
lapse. or without a divorce deal. tween the U.K. and the EU would tell EU officials that Brexit." "We went into this
Critics say that gives the Economists say a no-deal has foundered largely be- "we will work energetically meeting concerned that
pro-Brexit DUP an oversized Brexit would be economi- cause of the complex issue for a deal but the backstop he would have a limited
influence with the British cally damaging for the of the 300-mile (550 kilome- must be abolished. If we understanding of the com-
government, unsettling the whole U.K. and politically ter) border between North- are not able to reach an plexities and the fragil-
delicate balance of power destabilizing for Northern ern Ireland and EU member agreement, then we will, of ity of this place and those
in Northern Ireland. Ireland, the only part of the Ireland. An invisible border course, have to leave the concerns have been con-
Mary Lou McDonald, lead- U.K. to share a land border is crucial to the regional EU without a deal." firmed," she said.q