The Five Demands

Brexit: Northern Ireland secretary ‘using peace process as bargaining tool’ over £300m linked to passing deal (Independent)

Karen Bradley criticised after suggesting funding could be lost if MPs throw out the withdrawal agreement on Tuesday

The Northern Ireland secretary has been accused of using the peace process as a “bargaining tool”, after linking a £300m grant to the passing of Theresa May’s Brexit deal.

Labour said the suggestion the money could be lost if MPs inflicted a defeat was proof that Karen Bradley would “do anything to push through the prime minister’s botched deal”.

“As Northern Ireland secretary, she should be ashamed,” said Labour MP Tony Lloyd, her shadow.

“She needs to publicly guarantee funding for the peace process irrespective of the PM’s deal and apologise for such reckless and damaging comments.”

The controversy blew up after Ms Bradley announced a £300m package to support peace in Northern Ireland, including £109m from the EU, up to 2027.

Called PEACE Plus, the programme is the post-Brexit successor to a cross-border peace-building initiative that started in 1995.

However, in a newspaper article, Ms Bradley wrote that the “funding flows from our joint commitment within the EU in the withdrawal agreement”.

“It is a clear example of the certainty that the withdrawal agreement provides to the people of Northern Ireland and why it should be supported,” she said.

Current PEACE funding is only guaranteed until 2020, suggesting the future package was in jeopardy if MPs throw out the prime minister’s deal in next Tuesday’s showdown vote.