May’s Brexit deal could yet unravel
EUROPE: British Prime Minister Theresa May’s delicate Brexit compromise on Ireland was in danger of unravelling yesterday after the UK government’s commitment to a deal was questioned in Dublin and Brussels.
David Davis, the Brexit secretary, was accused of backing away from an agreement on border arrangements between Northern Ireland and the Republic just two days after
May’s triumphant cross-channel dash marked the end of days of wrangling with the Democratic Unionist Party, the Irish government and EU negotiators.
Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister, had regarded Britain’s commitment to avoiding a hard border through regulatory align- ment with the customs union and the single market as ‘‘politically bulletproof’’ and ‘‘cast iron’’ when May announced it on Friday.
However, Davis yesterday described it as a ‘‘statement of intent’’ which was not legally enforceable, suggesting the government could walk away from the deal.
He also exasperated officials on continental Europe by serving notice that Britain would not pay a divorce bill without securing a trade deal with the EU in return – in contrast to the chancellor of the exchequer, Philip Hammond, who said last week it was ‘‘inconceivable’’ that Britain would fail to honour its international obligations.
Davis said of the bill: ‘‘It is conditional on getting an implementation period. Conditional on a trade outcome. No deal means that we won’t be paying the money.’’
A senior Brussels source said that detailed negotiations on a future EU-UK relationship would only start once the withdrawal treaty, together with the financial settlement, had been completed.
May had faced scepticism from the European Commission about her aim of taking Britain out of the single market and customs union without necessitating a hard border in Ireland.
A 15-page update on Brexit negotiations from the commission to the European Council described the commitment to North-south cooperation in Ireland as ‘‘hard to reconcile with the United Kingdom’s communicated decision to leave the internal market and the customs union’’.
The assessment, sent in advance of a council meeting in Brussels on Friday, echoes critics who are sceptical about a technical solution that can avoid a hard border without regulatory alignment.
Yesterday Davis said: ‘‘We want to protect the peace process and we also want to protect Ireland from the impact of Brexit for them. This was a statement of intent more than anything else . . . much more than a legally enforceable thing. We commit ourselves to maintaining a frictionless invisible border, even with no deal.’’
Helen Mcentee, the Irish European affairs minister, warned Britain that it would have to stick to its commitments. ‘‘What was agreed on Friday, as far as we are concerned and as far as the rest of the [EU] are concerned, is what will happen,’’ she said.
Joe Mchugh, the Irish government’s chief whip, said the administration would not ‘‘back away’’ from its commitment to protect the Good Friday Agreement during phase two of Brexit talks, which focuses on a future trade deal between the EU and UK.
– The Times