Coveney: Extra cash from UK won’t break Brexit talks impasse
SIMON Coveney has warned the British government over the border, saying extra cash from the UK for the Brexit divorce bill won’t break the deadlock in talks over its exit from the European Union.
On Monday, British premier Theresa May got the backing from her Cabinet to offer upwards of £40billion (€45billion) to the EU as part of the UK’s leaving settlement.
This was on condition the EU agrees Brexit negotiations can move to Phase Two, when trade and Britain’s relationship with the bloc are discussed.
However, Mr Coveney told the London Evening Standard the Irish border remains the No.1 priority for Ireland and there is no reason for the UK to believe that an increased financial settlement will change that.
He said: ‘Anybody who thinks that just because the financial settlement issue gets resolved... that somehow Ireland will have a hand put on the shoulder and be told, “Look, it’s time to move on.” Well, we’re not going to move on.’
The Foreign Affairs Minister is adamant that talks cannot move to the next stage until the border question is resolved. But his opposite number in Britain, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, insists it cannot be resolved until the next round of talks.
The UK has until the leaders’ summit next month to prove sufficient progress has been made on Phase One key issues – the divorce bill, citizens’ rights and the border – before Phase Two talks can begin.
Mr Coveney said Ireland is not willing to move on without assurances on the border, adding: ‘This is a much bigger issue than trade. This is about division on the island of Ireland.’ He said: ‘I will not be an Irish foreign minister that presides over a negotiation which is not prioritising peace on the island of Ireland.’
British officials say the border question can only be solved as part of an overall trade deal but Leo Varadkar and Mr Coveney have said leaving it until later would be ‘a leap into the dark’.
In London, Mr Johnson told MPs yesterday the return of a hard border would be ‘madness’ and ‘unthinkable’. He said they all needed to ‘understand the ‘social, political and spiritual ramifications’ of such a move.
But he added that it was vital to get to the second stage of negotiations where ‘we’re able to debate these issues properly’.
It comes as Fianna Fáil Brexit spokesman Stephen Donnelly said Mr Johnson last week told him and Micheál Martin how the Phase One key issues could be solved in the morning – if it weren’t for the border.
Mr Donnelly said: ‘He made the point that of the three issues – the divorce bill, citizens rights and the Irish border – the British could solve the first two in the morning if they wanted to.
The sticking point is the border,’ he added.
Asked about the conversation with Mr Johnson, the British Foreign Office said it ‘did not recognise that account’ of events.
A spokesman said: ‘Nobody wants to see a return to a hard border, and we must continue to work together.’
‘We’re not going to move on’