Owen Paterson, the Tory MP and former Northern Ireland secretary, suggested that the agreement had “outlived its use”

Democratic Unionist MPs threw their weight behind Brexiteer critics of the Good Friday agreement yesterday in comments that Dublin condemned as “reckless”.

Downing Street insisted that it remained “steadfastly committed” to the 1998 agreement, which secured peace in Northern Ireland. However, its parliamentary allies, the DUP, joined a chorus of criticism initiated by prominent Brexiteers last week.

Under the terms of the agreement Northern Ireland can only have a devolved executive if the largest unionist and nationalist parties — the DUP and Sinn Fein — govern in coalition. Critics have said the model gives the republicans a veto on devolution and that there was a chance that a devolved administration would not endorse the regulatory divergence that Brexiteers seek. Owen Paterson, the Tory MP and