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LONDON, Nov. 24-- The leader of the Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) told its annual conference in Belfast Saturday that the party remained opposed to British Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal. Arlene Foster was speaking as May headed to Brussels ahead of the expected signing of an agreement Sunday between Britain and the European Union (EU) on a future relationship after Brexit. May's minority Conservative government at Westminster relies on the support of the 10 DUP MPs to give it a majority in the House of Commons. The loss of those vital 10 votes will cause a major headache for May when the deal is debated by MPs next month. Addressing the conference, Foster said the DUP could not support a Brexit deal that would open the possibility of divergence in either customs or regulatory measures between the British mainland and Northern Ireland. Foster told the conference the Brexit deal was not in the national interest and would cause long-term economic damage to Northern Ireland. As part of the deal, a so-called backstop arrangement has been included that could see an option of Northern Ireland keeping some EU customs regulations for a short time after the end of an implementation period due to end in December 2020. It would mean different rules applying in mainland Britain and Northern Ireland, though May insists it will not be used. The backstop would only be needed if a solution has not been agreed to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. | 
