News / Foreign Policy

PM fails to acknowledge 'hard border' danger

Tuesday, 01 October 2019 12:21 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 01 October 2019 1:05 PM ]

Boris Johnson does not appear to be serious over the Irish border backstop

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that whilst the “reality” of Brexit necessitates “custom checks” on the island of Ireland, this would not lead to a “hard border” between the Republic of Ireland and the six counties of the north.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, Johnson said: “A sovereign united country must have a single customs territory”.

Johnson’s latest statement on the Irish border backstop is set to raise eyebrows in Brussels, where European Union (EU) officials are fast losing hope of securing a new deal in the run up to Britain’s scheduled departure from the EU on October 31.

The Irish border backstop is the main point of disagreement between the British government and EU chiefs. The arrangement is also opposed by a significant section of the British Parliament.

Earlier this year, the House of Commons rejected former PM, Theresa May’s Brexit withdrawal bill on three occasions, primarily because of strong opposition to the backstop.

The Irish border backstop is effectively an insurance policy in Brexit negotiations, designed to keep the Irish border open in the event that the UK and the EU fail to secure a final deal at the end of the transition period, which could last until December 2022.

Johnson’s latest flippant remark on the backstop comes on the heels of EU chief negotiator, Michel Barnier’s description of the PM’s solutions for replacing the backstop as “unacceptable”.

The Irish broadcaster RTE has reported that a "string of customs posts perhaps five to 10 miles away from the frontier" had been floated by the UK as an alternative to current backstop arrangements.

But this plan has drawn a sharp response from Irish foreign minister and Tánaiste (deputy head of government), Simon Coveney, who dismissed the plan as a “non-starter”, tweeting that Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland “deserve better”.

Coveney’s strong reaction to Johnson’s “alternative” plan for the backstop comes just four days after Irish Taoiseach (PM), Leo Varadkar, warned British leaders that time is “running short” for them to come up with a “realistic framework” for the backstop.

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