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The Taoiseach has claimed that parts of the British establishment expected Ireland to \u201cfall into line\u201d after the Brexit referendum.<\/p>\nThe Taoiseach has claimed that parts of the British establishment expected Ireland to \u201cfall into line\u201d after the Brexit referendum.<\/p>\n
Leo Varadkar said that some people in Britain failed to consider the impact of Brexit on Ireland before the vote in June 2016.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the Getting Ireland Brexit Ready workshop at the Convention Center in Dublin, Mr Varadkar admitted that relations between Ireland and the United Kingdom were strained because of Brexit.<\/p>\n
Addressing an audience of business leaders on how to prepare for Brexit, Mr Varadkar and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney spoke of the ongoing struggle to push for a breakthrough in negotiations.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar said: \u201cI think there are different strains in Britain and a lot of people in Britain have great affection for Ireland and they understand our concerns and they did think of the impact in Ireland before the referendum.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut quite frankly there are others who didn\u2019t and you do come across people in the British establishment who can\u2019t believe we won\u2019t fall into line.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey thought \u2018sure you\u2019ll be leaving too, won\u2019t you\u2019 and the fact that we aren\u2019t and the fact we stood up for ourselves has made some of them quite annoyed, but so be it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s elements of the establishment. You\u2019d swear we created the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said that while his personal relationship with Prime Minister Theresa May was \u201cvery good\u201d, relations in the wider sense were strained.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are strained because of Brexit which has created a disturbance in the force,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
He rejected suggestions from some that the Irish government was using the Northern Ireland peace process to force through a Brexit deal, saying it was \u201cnot part of any wider agenda\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think the rules we have had up until now worked reasonably well and we are trying to protect the gains of the peace process and protect the relative prosperity we have enjoyed in the last couple of decades,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
Tanaiste Simon Coveney said he believed securing a Brexit deal was still \u201ca very likely outcome\u201d even in the face of growing pessimism.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth is that the withdrawal agreement is the only agreement that\u2019s needed before they leave,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not talking about a detailed future relationship agreement for at least another two years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat withdrawal agreement is 95% agreed and written, so it\u2019s the detail work around how we protect Ireland, the island of Ireland as a whole and the border issue and I believe there is a landing zone we can work towards that Britain can live with and we can accept.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar recalled how German Chancellor Angela Merkel told him during the European Summit in Salzburg that he would \u201cnever feel such European solidarity on this issue as you ever will again\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was very reassuring but also a bit ominous,\u201d he said in jest.<\/p>\n
Turning to the Irish border, Mr Varadkar said if the UK decided to stay in the Customs Union it would help matters on Northern Ireland and in relation to east\/west trade.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I don\u2019t think that\u2019s quite what they are proposing. They are proposing that for a temporary period they would sort of stay in customs union and that falls short for two reasons,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst of all it is temporary and the backstop can be temporary but it can\u2019t have an expiry date, it can be temporary until we have a better arrangement.\u201d<\/p>\n