THE TAOISEACH has accused UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson of breaking the trust of the Irish Government with his plans for the Irish border.
Speaking in the Dail, Micheál Martin expressed his disappointment at not getting a “heads-up” over his plans for potentially circumventing the legally binding Withdrawal Agreement.
The new legislation is in danger of undermining parts of that agreement by giving greater priority to seamless trade between England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
Some of the clauses are also expected override parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol agreed last year, in a move that could pave the way for a return to a hard border.
The new legislation could allow ministers to effectively get around the binding agreements the UK has already entered into with Ireland and the EU.
Mr Martin slammed the approach as a clear breach of trust and is set to relay his frustrations to Mr. Johnson in a phone call later today.
He said: “We have to be very clear where we stand in terms of the Withdrawal Agreement."
“I will be registering our complete opposition to the decision that is being taken," he added.
“Proper negotiations are conducted on a ‘no surprise’ basis….. and to drag Northern Ireland back into this is extremely divisive - and dangerous.
“This statement undermines trust.
“There was no ‘heads-up’ on this, so to speak.
“It represents a very new departure in terms of international relations.”
The Taoiseach reiterated his stance in a statement issued to Twitter:
“Any negotiation process can only proceed on the basis of trust.
“When one party to a negotiation decides that they can change what’s already agreed and incorporated into law, it really undermines trust.
“This is a critical time in the #Brexit process and the stakes are very high.”
Any negotiation process can only proceed on the basis of trust. When one party to a negotiation decides that they can change what’s already agreed and incorporated into law, it really undermines trust. This is a critical time in the #Brexit process and the stakes are very high.
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) September 9, 2020
Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald was similarly scathing of the UK government’s approach, warning that Ireland would not serve as a pawn in any Brexit negotiations.
Ms McDonald told the Irish Mirror: “The Withdrawal Agreement is concluded, the protocol has been agreed that’s a matter of international law and they simply cannot step away and act with such incredible bad faith and set aside or dishonour commitments that they have made in law, these are legal obligations.”
“I want to sound a very strong note of concern that at this stage, very late in the day in terms of the negotiations that Ireland would be used as a pawn by the British government, that is completely unacceptable,” she added.
“We have agreed that there could be no damage to the Good Friday Agreement, there can be no hardening of the border of the border on the island of Ireland and that Ireland can’t be the collateral damage for this Tory Brexit.”
