Britain’s Irish border pledge
BRITAIN today pledges that there will be “no return” to the hard Irish border of the past after Brexit as it attempts to defuse a deepening row with Dublin.
The Government says that it wants to avoid “any physical border infrastructure” between the Republic and Northern Ireland under plans for new customs arrangements with the EU.
Whitehall officials told The Daily Telegraph that the EU will be legally responsible for any hard border imposed after Brexit and insisted that the UK is determined to be flexible on the issue.
In a paper published today, the Government will dismiss suggestions that the customs border could be shifted to the Irish Sea, warning that the idea is “not constitutionally or economically viable”. Ministers want an “invisible” border between the Republic and Northern Ireland, with an exemption from any checks for smaller traders who make up more than 80 per cent of cross-border trade.
Larger traders will sign up to new “trusted trader arrangements”, which will mean that the vehicles of registered companies can cross the border with electronic checks.
The Government will say that border checks can be implemented with “light touch” technology, but there are concerns in the Irish government that
such an approach may not be realistic. Phil Hogan, Ireland’s EU commissioner, has said that Ireland could be the “biggest victim of this mess” and accused the UK of “high-level delusion”.
Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister, has called for Britain to stay in the customs union – a move which has been rejected formally by Theresa May.
The paper will also include a commitment to uphold the Good Friday Agreement in “all its parts” – sections of the 1998 peace accord are underpinned by EU human rights legislation.
A Government source said: “Our paper sets out some creative options on customs and shows the priority we place on making progress on this.
“Protecting trade is vital for the UK and Ireland – in 2015 Northern Ireland sold £10.7billion of goods to Great Britain and a further £2.7 billion to Ireland, while last year Great Britain exported £13.6billion worth of goods to Ireland, and imported £9.1billion.
“So we’re prioritising finding a solution that protects businesses’ ability to access these important markets.”
An Irish government spokesman warned last night that the peace process “must not become a bargaining chip in the negotiations”.
A UK government source said: “Both sides needs to show flexibility and imagination when it comes to the border issue in Northern Ireland and that is exactly what our latest position paper will do.
“As Michel Barnier [the EU chief negotiator] himself has said, the solution cannot be based on a precedent so we’re looking forward to seeing the EU’S position paper on Ireland.
“But it’s right that as we shape the
‘Both sides needs to show flexibility and imagination when it comes to the border issue in Northern Ireland’
unprecedented model, we have some very clear principles.
“Top of our list is to agree upfront no physical border infrastructure – that would mean a return to the border posts of the past and is completely unacceptable to the UK.”
Mr Varadkar said Brexit would make it more important for Ireland to develop new overseas markets.
“In the context of Brexit, it is more important than ever that the Irish government seeks to expand our markets overseas and strengthen our relationships with major trading partners,” he said.