It’s a myth that return of hard Border could lead to violence, says Brexiteer MP

BREXITEER and Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has described as a “fable” the possibility that a hard Border in the North could lead to a resumption of violence.

“The fable that Brexit will reintroduce a vanished Border is just that, a myth,” said Mr ReesMogg.

His comments sparked concern that some Tory MPs believe that the Good Friday Agreement has fulfilled its purpose and is now no longer needed.

Some Brexiteers, including Mr Rees-Mogg, are willing to walk away from negotiations without securing a deal on trade or protecting the Good Friday Agreement. He dismissed as “reckless speculation” concerns resurrecting a physical Border between the North and Republic could create tensions that could escalate in to renewed hostilities.

“Some have recklessly speculated that Brexit would be a cause for terror; what sort of argument is this?”, he wrote in an op-ed in the ‘Daily Telegraph’.

“The whole point of the peace process has been to remove the threat of violence from politics.”

His comments contrast sharply with those of Tánaiste Simon Coveney, who warned on a trip to the USA that the peace process could be threatened.

“We all share the same goal of protecting the Good Friday Agreement and the gains of the peace process,” he said.