Government urged to ditch Brexit ‘one-upmanship’
The Government has been urged to tone down the rhetoric and to stop engaging in a Brexit “one-upmanship” battle with new British prime minister, Boris Johnson. A war of words may cause a no-deal crisis.
Last night, Fianna Fáil called on the Government to calm the situation. There are still no plans for when Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Mr Johnson will meet one-to-one.
In a series of comments after replacing Theresa May last week, Mr Johnson told MPs he will remove the backstop and said his government will not back down on the withdrawal agreement.
However, the Government’s response was equally vocal, with Tánaiste Simon Coveney, on Friday, uncharacteristically warning that Mr Johnson is setting both countries on a “collision course” and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar reminding London the stance could cause a united Ireland referendum.
The tough line in responding to Mr Johnson has split public opinion: supporters of the subtle change in Ireland’s attitude say it is needed to tackle the new British leader; critics warn of unintended consequences.
And while Government sources have insisted it is the right approach, Fianna Fáil has concerns about the potential risks of any further escalation in the war of words.
In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, yesterday, Fianna Fáil leader, Micheál Martin, said it is important that the Government keeps “cool heads” and urged Mr Varadkar not to start “prodding” Mr Johnson.
While continuing to support the Government’s wider Brexit position, Mr Martin said:
“I think we need to keep cool heads. There is no point in prodding, or throwing accusations around just yet.”
And, echoing his party leader’s comments last night, Fianna Fáil’s housing spokesperson, Darragh O’Brien, later told RTE News: “We want cool heads here. We want the Irish Government and the British government not to participate in one-upmanship on this.”
While the Government did not publicly respond to the criticism, last night a senior source said ministers would be “concerned if Fianna Fáil was now trying to undermine” the Government, “at this very sensitive time.”
There are no plans for when Mr Varadkar and Mr Johnson will hold their first bilateral meeting, almost a week after the new British prime minister took power.
While it is still expected the meeting will take place in the next fortnight, no date has been confirmed.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Mr Varadkar said the Taoiseach “looks forward to speaking with the prime minister in the near future” and is keen to hear how Mr Johnson plans to leave the EU with a deal.
The spokesperson said Mr Varadkar and the EU27 remain of the clear view that the “withdrawal agreement will not be re-opened and must include the backstop,” with the only option for any deal changes being in the political declaration that follows the withdrawal deal.
