FILE PHOTO: DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds speaks during the party's annual conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland, November 25, 2017. REUTERS/Andrew Paton

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May’s stance in Brexit talks with the European Union on the issue of Northern Ireland’s border was welcomed by the deputy leader of the party in the province backing her minority government.

On Friday May said she could not agree to any deal with the EU which treated Northern Ireland differently to the rest of the United Kingdom.

“You only needs checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK if you’re having different regimes operating and different rules being imposed on Northern Ireland compared to the rest of the UK,” the Democratic Unionist Party’s Nigel Dodd said on Friday.

“That is unacceptable, the PM has made that clear today, I welcome that. We remain very focused on that key important priority for Northern Ireland,” he said.