Theresa May reiterates post-Brexit border pledge

Theresa May said the government had been clear it did not want to see the borders of the past

The prime minister has reiterated the government's determination to avoid any return to "the borders of the past" in Northern Ireland.

Theresa May was answering a question from the SDLP's South Belfast MP, Alasdair McDonnell.

Dr McDonnell said, on the one hand, the government was talking about a soft border, then about tightly controlling the movement of people and labour.

He asked Mrs May if she could see why this was creating confusion.

"I have been clear, the secretary of state for Northern Ireland has been clear, the taoiseach has also said that on both sides of the border we don't want to see a return to the borders of the past," Mrs May replied.

Dr Alasdair McDonnell said the government was making contradictory statements about border controls

"I think it's worth reminding the house that actually the Common Travel Area has been in place since the 1920s, so it was there well before we were both members of the European Union.

"We are working together with the government of the Republic and obviously I've had discussions on this with the first minister and the deputy first minister in Northern Ireland.

"We want to ensure, as I say, that we don't see a return to the borders of the past."

Sinn Féin's John O'Dowd said that if England and Wales wanted to leave the EU they should go ahead "and leave the rest of us with some semblance of stability".

John O'Dowd said a bad policy was being badly implemented

However, the DUP's Gregory Campbell said: "The role of parliament is to implement the will of the people. The people spoke on the 23rd of June - our role now is to implement that.

"Let's see as the process of beginning Article 50 is triggered and beyond that, let's see what the government comes back with and I have no doubt whatsoever there will be intense scrutiny and there will be a number of votes on a range of issues between now and two and a half years from now."

Gregory Campbell said the role of parliament was to implement the will of the people

Meanwhile, the UUP has said politically motivated attempts to inject a border poll into the heart of Brexit negotiations must be dropped.

"I have tested, yet again, the attitude of Her Majesty's Government to this idea, and they have clearly set out their position that it continues to be the case that the requirements for such a poll, set out in the Belfast Agreement, are not met," the party's Lord Empey said.