UK ‘smear campaign’ targets Varadkar as Brexit war turns dirty
TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar is being targeted by British officials and politicians as the Brexit war turns dirty.
High-ranking officials are negatively briefing against the Taoiseach in private conversations with their EU counterparts, senior Government figures have revealed.
As tensions between Dublin and London intensify, sources involved in devising Ireland’s Brexit strategy say they have detected a ‘smear campaign’ against Mr Varadkar.
And in a significant intervention, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has written to the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator in an effort to calm the waters.
In a pointed letter, Mr Martin sets out his party’s position on Brexit, while also indicting he fully backs Mr Varadkar’s demands ahead of a crucial summit later this month.
He writes that recent political instability has not changed the common view from Ireland that the UK is offering little more than “empty generalities”.
The letter to Michel Barnier, seen by the Irish Independent, says the former foreign affairs minister is “deeply concerned” by the failure of Theresa May’s government “to follow-up general reassurances issued during the summer with any specific proposals”.
Mr Martin adds that the UK argument for postponing any commitment on the Border, until a deal on a future trade agreement between the UK and EU is agreed, is unacceptable.
Meanwhile members of Ireland’s Brexit team have had to repeatedly debunk claims made by pro-Brexit politicians that Mr Varadkar is concerned about the threat posed by Sinn Féin.
There has also been a bizarre assertion that the pending presidential election is influencing the Government’s approach.
Sources directly involved in the negotiations now say they have spoken to EU figures who have been negatively briefed against the Taoiseach.
“It’s evident that there is a smear campaign against Leo and it’s been driven by (Prime Minister) Theresa May’s government,” said one senior source.
It comes as both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil criticised remarks made about Mr Varadkar by Nick Timothy, Mrs May’s former chief of staff.
In an article in the ‘Daily Telegraph’, Mr Timothy states the Brexit outcome will be “ruinous” for Ireland if the UK leaves without a deal. He claims the Taoiseach’s “hardline” stance could make this a reality.
“The Europeans and the British want to move to phase two; Varadkar now needs to avoid a terrible miscalculation,” he wrote, describing Mr Varadkar as a “young and inexperienced leader” who is under pressure.
Mr Timothy lost his job as joint chief of staff at Downing Street after Mrs May’s disastrous election last year when she lost her party’s majority.
Last night, European Affairs Minister Helen McEntee told the Irish Independent Ireland had the full backing of the other EU member states and that the position regarding the Border remained consistent.
“Theresa May gave a very welcome commitment that there would be no hard Border,” she said. “We are simply asking for further detail and an explanation as to how that might be possible, without looking for everything to be signed, sealed and delivered in phase one (of the talks).
“Fianna Fáil’s Brexit spokesperson Stephen Donnelly accused the UK of engaging in ‘personal attacks’ against the Taoiseach. It’s an approach that doesn’t help either side, in particular the UK. We all have to work together.”