FF contradicts its own Brexit spokesman as it attacks Leo’s tougher stand

THE Taoiseach’s robust criticism of Britain’s attitude towards a border in Ireland has been described as ‘not helpful’ by Fianna Fáil’s foreign affairs spokesman Darragh O’Brien.

But his comments came just a day after Fianna Fáil’s Brexit spokesman, Stephen Donnelly, praised Leo Varadkar for taking a tough stand.

Earlier this week, Mr Varadkar said: ‘They’re [Britain] the ones who want a border.

‘It’s up to them to say what it is, how it would work and, first of all, convince their own voters that this is actually a good idea. As far as this Government is concerned, there shouldn’t be an economic border – we don’t want one.’

‘Throwing his toys out of the pram’

Mr O’Brien said: ‘No one is here to argue for the Brexiteers – they have no plan, no ideas and no solutions.

‘This means it is all the more important that our administration leads the debate and plays the role of problem solvers because there is no point in expecting them to come up with a solution.’

He claimed the Taoiseach was ‘throwing his toys out of the pram’ and that saying ‘you fix it’ was not helpful.

‘His comments didn’t do anything to advance a delicate scenario,’ he added.

Mr O’Brien warned that a border war would ‘drown out’ the importance of the trade issue. ‘We do a billion euro a year in trade in the North – we do €59bn a year with the UK,’ he said.

But on RTÉ’s Six One News on Friday, Mr Donnelly took an entirely different position, fully backing the Taoiseach.

He argued that Ireland should say to the British: ‘Show us anywhere in the world where two jurisdictions are in different markets and different customs agreements and there’s absolutely no border in place whatsoever. You come and show us how that will work.

‘Being honest and forthright with them, as Fianna Fáil are being and as Fine Gael are being, that is the right thing to do.’

It appears that Fianna Fáil has shifted its stance since Mr Donnelly spoke, as other party sources are now taking the same position as Mr O’Brien.

Another party source said last night of the Taoiseach’s tough stance: ‘This is a carryover from the leadership. Leo and Simon are still jousting for position but this is not the time or the place.’

The sharpening of the Government’s position comes amid frustration over the UK’s incoherent response to Brexit.

Phil Hogan, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said he was very disappointed with the pace of the Brexit talks and the content of the discussions that took place in Brussels last week.

Mr Hogan added that it seemed the UK still had to come to terms with its negotiating mandate.

‘And this is happening at a time when the clock is ticking, as Michel Barnier [the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator] has said,’ Mr Hogan said.

But, privately, diplomatic and political sources are scathing about the incompetence of the UK response to Brexit.

One source said: ‘If the Irish Government expects this group of “home county” Tories to come up with solutions, we are in desperate trouble. Shambolic is too kind a word for their performance.’

‘A border war would drown out trade issue’