Varadkar: I will listen to new UK PM’s proposals over the Border
‘What matters is the objective,’ he says
TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar has said he is willing to ‘compromise’ on the Brexit backstop – provided the objective of avoiding a hard border is still met.
Ireland and the EU have long maintained that the backstop is vital and will not be removed from the Withdrawal Agreement without which the UK will leave the EU in a chaotic, No-Deal Brexit.
The two candidates vying to become the next British prime minister – Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt – have both vowed to abandon it all together.
While Mr Varadkar has always insisted there is no credible alternative to the backstop, yesterday that position appeared to soften, as he indicated that he will listen to proposals from the next PM.
‘What matters is the objective, and the objective is to avoid the emergence of a border between north and south,’ he told Today with Seán O’Rourke on RTÉ.
‘What I care about is achieving those objectives, and I’m willing to compromise provided those objectives are achieved.
‘And the objectives are that Brexit should not lead to the emergence of a hard border between north and south, that the rights of citizens in Northern Ireland are fully protected, and that we preserve north-south cooperation, the all-island economy, the Good Friday Agreement. That’s what matters.’
Asked if he was now willing to show ‘flexibility’ on the backstop, the Taoiseach paused, before answering: ‘It depends on what that is. I’ve yet to hear from the British prime minister, what they have in mind.’
He added: ‘What I’m going to have to do is meet the new prime minister, have a detailed engagement, listen to what he has to say. If there are proposals they have that genuinely achieve the same outcome, I have to listen.’
The backstop seeks to avoid a hard border between the North and the Republic of Ireland, by keeping the UK aligned to the rules of the customs union and single market until another solution is found.
But this has become a major sticking point in negotiations, as many on the UK side fear it will keep them bound to the EU indefinitely.
Yesterday, the Taoiseach indicated that one way of breaking the impasse could be to have a Northern Ireland-only backstop, rather than the current version that includes the whole UK.
Originally, the backstop was only intended to apply to Northern Ireland, but was changed to a UK-wide one in a bid to appease the DUP – who object to the North being treated any differently to the rest of the UK, and crucially, are propping up the Tory government in Westminster.
‘One thing that I mentioned earlier, and this was always on the table, is that the backstop could apply to Northern Ireland and not to all of the UK. It was the British government that decided they wanted to have a UK-wide backstop,’ Mr Varadkar said.
‘I don’t think it would go down well with the DUP at all. But the Withdrawal Agreement, including the backstop, wasn’t something that the EU imposed on the UK, it’s something that we co-designed.’
Mr Varadkar also sought to play down fears of a No-Deal exit, which have risen on the back of campaign pledges made by Mr Johnson and Mr Hunt that the backstop will be scrapped.
‘I appreciate that’s what they’ve said in the last weeks. I’m also very aware that both men voted for the Withdrawal Agreement and the backstop only a few weeks ago.
‘They’re in the middle of an election campaign. I want to hear from the prime minister himself as to what his suggestions are as to how we can secure the Withdrawal Agreement,’ Mr Varadkar said.
‘Sticking point in negotations’