You chose Brexit, not Ireland and not us, EU tells Britain

BRITAIN was last night embroiled in a row over Ireland as senior EU officials accused the Government of using the peace process as “a bargaining chip”.

The UK yesterday said the EU failed to understand the human cost of peace in Northern Ireland as a war of words broke out in the run-up to the third set of Brexit negotiations on Monday.

Britain published a series of position papers including one on how to protect cross-border trade between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

A senior EU official said: “We are concerned by the linkages created in the UK paper on Ireland between preservation of the peace process, the invisible border and the future relationship… the peace process must not become a bargaining chip in the negotiations.”

The UK had to accept responsibility for the consequences its decision to leave the EU would have on Ireland, he added. “The decision to leave was the UK’S decision, not the decision of Ireland and not the decision of the EU.”

A UK Government source said: “This type of language suggests they don’t properly understand the human costs behind the hard-won progress in Northern Ireland.”

On Thursday, Tony Blair meets Jeanclaude Juncker, the European Commission president, in Brussels.

Nigel Farage, a Ukip MEP, said: “Blair’s interference and desire to sell out our country never stops. The Remaniac-in-chief has no position or power any more, only delusions.”