LEO BACKS MAY AFTER UK PM’S LEGISLATION DEFEAT
they’re from a nationalist political point of view or a unionist political point of view, is what we want to continue on the island of Ireland is exactly what we’ve had for the last 20 years – which is peace, freedom of movement and free trade between Ireland and Northern Ireland, and indeed between Ireland and Britain’ he said.
‘What’s disrupting that is Brexit. I hope that some of the people who supported Brexit and campaigned for that would realise or at least acknowledge that they’re the ones who created this problem. And I’m one of the people who’s trying to resolve it.’
Mr Varadkar appears to have finally lost patience with the DUP, which has repeatedly accused him of trying to unite Ireland by stealth despite repeated assurances to the contrary by the Taoiseach.
Arlene Foster’s party campaigned for Brexit but 56% of those who voted in the North chose to remain in the European Union, a situation that has frequently put the DUP at odds with the Irish Government.
Mr Varadkar said he was pleased with the joint report on the Irish border agreed with the UK government last week. That’s despite the uncertainty cast over the deal by UK Brexit secretary David Davis, who suggested the deal wasn’t binding – comments that, while technically right, went down badly in Brussels.
The Taoiseach said he was satisfied the language in the agreement would stand for itself, adding that there was no reason to spin or interpret it. He said: ‘There are lots of people, for their own political reasons, who are going to try and put a particular spin or complexion on what was agreed last week in the joint report. What I’m going to do is stand by the actual language.
‘We were very happy with what was agreed last week. The joint report is very much a political agreement and what has to happen now over the next few months
‘Start respecting the unionists’
is turning the commitments and principles in the joint report into the withdrawal agreement, which is a legally binding international agreement that allows the UK to leave the EU.’
Mr Varadkar’s comments were backed by the president of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, in a speech delivered to the summit. He said: ‘In light of the statements made on the other side of the Channel last weekend, we want to underline that the joint report is a binding document, not an exercise in sleightof-hand to enable us to move on to the second phase.
‘There can be no discussions on future relations if the exit agreement is not applied to the letter.’
DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds yesterday criticised what he called Leo Varadkar’s ‘incomplete remarks’ and warned him to ‘stop politicking ahead of his general election and start respecting the unionists of Northern Ireland’.
Mr Dodds said: ‘As a result of the text of the agreement reached last week between the EU and the UK, Northern Ireland will not just leave the European Union along with the rest of the United Kingdom, but it will leave the single market and the customs union along with the rest of the United Kingdom.
‘There will be no customs or trade border down the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.
‘There will be no so-called “special status” forcing Northern Ireland to stay inside the EU.’
He added: ‘The agreement last week makes it clear that the UK remains committed to preserving the integrity of its internal market and Northern Ireland’s place within it, as it leaves the EU’s internal market and customs union.’