It’s a backstab
Varadkar hits out at British proposals for three-month limit on border safety net
THE Taoiseach yesterday dismissed the idea of a timelimited backstop saying it would not be worth the paper it is written on.
Leo Varadkar said he expects British PM Theresa May to stick to commitments made to the EU last December for a legally enforceable safety net to avoid a hard border.
Reports that Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has privately demanded the right to pull out of the arrangement after three months has been criticised by the Government.
Tanaiste Simon Coveney said his position remains “consistent and clear” that a time-limited backstop will never be agreed to by Ireland or the EU.
Yesterday, Mr Varadkar described the UK as a “divided kingdom”, which he said has not helped the negotiation process.
He added: “The people are split 50/50 over whether they want to leave the EU or not.
“The Cabinet seems divided, the Government seems divided, Parliament is divided, and that has made it very difficult to come to an agreement.
“I’d much prefer to have a united kingdom, a united country, to be our partner in these negotiations but we don’t so we have to work through.
“Thankfully, in Ireland we have a Government that is united, and we have in
Parliament as well, that’s largely united behind the Government on this issue.”
He said Irish negotiators were working hard to try to reach a deal by the end of the year but added: “A backstop with a three-month limit on it or expiry date of that
RIGHT, DUBLIN YESTERDAY
nature isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. The backstop the UK government has signed up to is a legally operative backstop that will apply unless and until we have any agreement to supersede it.
“I think it’s reasonable for us to expect a country like the United Kingdom and a government like the UK government to stand by its commitments.” Mr Varadkar was speaking at the official opening of a development of 42 social homes in north Dublin. The project features 31 one, two and three-bedroom apartments and 11 townhouses and will provide housing for 150 people.
It comes as the number of homeless people living in emergency shelter increased last month, adding to the country’s housing crisis.
Mr Varadkar said the new properties are an example of the Government’s attempt to sort out the shortage.
He added: “Of course to some of our opponents, particularly those on the left, this place doesn’t exist because it’s not directly built by a local authority, it’s built through a partnership involving the city council and Oaklee Housing Trust.
“I think to the people who live here they will tell you that it does exist and that it provides really high-quality public housing.”
SMART MOVE
I think it’s very reasonable for us to expect the UK to stand by its commitments TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR,
IN STITCHES