Willie Hay rubbishes Theresa May's Brexit backstop assurances

The former Derry City Councillor and Mayor quipped that it was not often that he agreed with Dick Newby, the Liberal Democrat leader in the House of Lords, on anything but he agreed with him that the Prime Minister's statement contained nothing new of substance from that which was on the table before the Christmas recess.

"My Lords, I do not often agree with the leader of the Lib Dems in this House, but I have to say that the Statement is hardly worth commenting on. Nothing has changed," blasted the former speaker of the Stormont Assembly.

"Despite letters of reassurance from the European Union, there are no legally binding assurances, as the Prime Minister talked about and promised in December.

"In fact, nothing has changed. We have often said as a party that we want a balanced and fair approach to leaving the European Union. Unfortunately in this situation, we have also said continually that we will not support anything that separates Northern Ireland from the rest of this United Kingdom.

"That has been our message continually, both in this House and to the Prime Minister. So as far as we as a party in this House are concerned, nothing has changed," he stated.