Conservative party leadership contenders who are talking up a no-deal Brexit risk putting Northern Ireland on to an emergency footing, civil rights groups from across the political divide have warned.
Human rights organisation, workers’ unions, representatives of rural communities and a dozen other organisations are writing to all the candidates to succeed Theresa May to warn them no deal would have a “devastating impact” on the social cohesion in border areas.
“As representatives of civil society, we believe that Northern Ireland is on the brink of a no-deal Brexit emergency,” said Kevin Hanratty, director of the Human Rights Consortium. “In an evolving political landscape, a variety of factors indicate that the potential for a no-deal Brexit has now escalated significantly.”
What happens next in the Tory party leadership race?
As she announced on 24 May, Theresa May will step down formally as Conservative leader on Friday although she will remain in place as prime minister until her successor is chosen.
The rules for the contest to replace her have been tweaked by the backbench 1922 Committee, with the backing of the party’s board, in order to prevent the contest dragging on for weeks.
Nominations will close at 5.30pm next Monday. Candidates will have to show that they have the support of eight of their colleagues: a proposer, a seconder and six other MPs.
MPs will hold a series of votes, in order to narrow down the crowded field, which currently stands at eleven leadership hopefuls.
How does the voting work?
MPs choose one candidate, in a secret ballot held in a committee room in the House of Commons. The votes are tallied and the results announced on the same day.
The 1922 Committee has decided that after the first round, any candidate who wins the support of less than 17 MPs, will be eliminated. And after the second round, the threshold will be set at 33 MPs.
Rounds of voting will then continue until just two candidates remain. The first round will be held on Thursday 13 June from 10am to noon. Subsequent rounds have been pencilled in for the 18th, 19th and 20th.
The two remaining candidates will then be put to the Conservative membership for a vote.
When will the results be announced?
Once MPs have whittled down the field to two, Conservative party HQ takes over the running of the next stage, which it says will be completed in the week beginning Monday 22 July.
Will there be hustings?
Yes: MPs have organised a series of events themselves to put the candidates through their paces, kicking off with an event convened by the One Nation group on Tuesday evening. Conservative party HQ will organise its own events; and the BBC has also announced several televised debates between the candidates.
Louise Coyle, director of the Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network and one of the signatories to the statement, says members feel that Westminster politicians “have very little understanding” of Northern Ireland, with supporters of a no-deal Brexit – such as members of the European Research Group – devising plans for “alternative arrangements” that have no basis in reality.
“People are fearful about the future,” said Coyle. “The politicians who do come, come to Belfast and may meet manufacturers or talk of the issues for truckers but they don’t meet us. They see the border issue as a small problem that can be dealt with. But if it were a simple problem, it would have been dealt with by now.”
She added: “We have members across the political spectrum and none of them see any good at all out of Brexit. The withdrawal agreement is not great, but it is a barrier to a cliff edge.”
The right to identify as British or Irish under the peace deal of 1998 is one of the things that could turn into a major issue in a no-deal Brexit, she warns.
“It was miraculous the [1998 Good Friday] agreement was ever signed, but looking into a future with no deal where Irish people might have more rights than British because they will be supported by the EU, that is very frightening for people,” said Coyle, who adds that these are the real-life issues the likes of Boris Johnson, or Esther McVey or Dominic Raab do not engage with.
Rural communities are also aware that whatever the politicians in Westminster and Brussels, say checks on animals crossing the border will be mandatory under EU regulations, and have the potential to create tension in communities.
The other signatories on the statement are the Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland, Centre for Cross Border Studies, Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action, Women’s Resource and Development Agency, Northern Ireland Women’s European Platform, Focus: the Identity Trust, PILS Project, Committee on the Administration of Justice, Children’s Law Centre, Northern Ireland Council for Racial Equality, Unison and Disability Action.
Also identified in the statement as concerns are the devastation no deal would cause to farming, to cross-border food businesses, to the single energy market and cross-border health care.
