I am a friend of the UK, insists Coveney
IRISH Foreign Affairs minister Simon Coveney has described himself as a ‘candid friend’ of the United Kingdom — but raised fresh questions around whether the British government can be trusted.
He referred to family links — his mother is British and he has an aunt and uncle who are “the most English people I know — and revealed how he loves London more than Paris.
“There isn’t an anti-british bone in my body,” he said, in an interview with The Times.
Mr Coveney, who has been criticised by unionists, also told the paper he felt that the Brexit debate in the UK had not been ‘honest’.
“I have always maintained that when the history books are written Brexit will be seen as an extraordinary mistake for the UK — but maybe Britain will make it work,” he added.
Mr Coveney described Northern Ireland as ‘fragile’.
He added: “It’s 100 years since partition, effectively, Northern Ireland is a unique political construct and it’s fragile... that is why Brexit and the issues around Brexit has created such tension and risk in the context of community relations.
“That’s why the relationship between the British Government and the Irish Government is so important.
”There isn’t an anti-british boneinmybody.
“I’m a candid friend of the UK. We need to fix this (the UK-IREland relationship ) now.”
In the same interview, Mr Coveney described as ‘perverse nationalism’ UK efforts to agree a trade deal with the US.
“Rather than the EU and UK competing for attention in Washington, looking to be the first to do a trade deal, it makes sense for the UK, EU and US and Canada to do one together,” he added.
“This idea that Britain can get there first is narrow-minded thinking, frankly.
“It’s a perverse nationalism when actually Britain and the EU should work together as partners.”
The Cork TD also revealed that the political storm over the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol had raised EU concerns as to whether the UK Government could be trusted by other countries.
“It has reinforced an awful lot of the doubts in Brussels about whether or not this really is a British government we can rely on to be a trusted partner when it comes to implementing what has already been agreed,” he said.
Mr Coveney has come under considerable criticism from unionists over what they see as his combative approach to UK-IREland relations in the post-brexit era.
They cite his hardline stance on the protocol, which has disrupted trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Earlier this month, Mr Coveney told RTE the EU is negotiating with a partner it “simply cannot trust” after the UK moved to ease some trade restrictions imposed by the Protocol.
He said the timing of the UK’S move could not be worse.