Sinn Féin TD describes UK attempt to override Withdrawal Agreement as 'act of bad faith'

The Waterford TD said that any such move “simply cannot be allowed” as it would be in contravention of an international agreement. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane has described reports that the UK will attempt to override elements of the Northern Ireland Protocol through upcoming legislation as “an act of bad faith.” Mr Cullinane was responding to a Financial Times report that said British legislation due this week will “eliminate the legal force of parts of the withdrawal agreement” in areas including state aid and the new customs arrangements for Northern Ireland.

Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland the Waterford TD said that any such move “simply cannot be allowed” as it would be in contravention of an international agreement, not just an agreement with Ireland and Europe.

The island of Ireland had to be treated as a single trade unit, he said.

His comments come after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's administration looks to have upped the ante on this week's post-Brexit trade negotiations as reports emerged that ministers there plan to rip-up the Withdrawal Agreement with implications for Northern Ireland.

The Prime Minister is also planning to give Brussels a five-week deadline to agree fresh trade terms or otherwise call for both sides to "accept" no-deal and spend the rest of the year minimising the extent of the disruption from the fallout.

Mr Johnson is expected to say later today that collapsing the trade talks, should there be no agreement by the October 15 European Council, would still be a "good outcome for the UK", allowing the country to "prosper mightily".

As part of the terms of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the region is expected to continue to follow some EU rules after the transition period ends in 2021 to ensure there is no hard border - a resolution some Brexiteers took umbrage with when initially revealed.

Approached about the reports, a British Government spokeswoman said it was working to "protect Northern Ireland's place in our United Kingdom".

She said: "We are working hard to resolve outstanding issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol through the Joint Committee and will continue to approach these discussions in good faith.

"As a responsible Government, we are considering fall back options in the event this is not achieved to ensure the communities of Northern Ireland are protected."

But the suggestion that ministers could possibly undermine an international treaty and use Northern Ireland as a bargaining chip has caused uproar among key figures in Ireland and mainland Europe.

Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs minister Simon Coveney, an influential player in the formation of the Withdrawal Agreement, tweeted: "This would be a very unwise way to proceed."

This would be a very unwise way to proceed. #Brexit .
https://t.co/D4aod2665h

— Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) September 6, 2020

Labour shadow Northern Ireland secretary Louise Haigh said: "It beggars belief that the Government is - yet again - playing a dangerous game in Northern Ireland and sacrificing our international standing at the altar of the Prime Minister's incompetence."

The suggested move, along with Mr Johnson's comments about no-deal, is likely to pile the pressure on as negotiators prepare to meet on Tuesday for another round of crunch talks in London.

UK negotiator David Frost, in the lead up to his meetings with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, used a rare interview to vouch not to "blink" as the deadline for securing a deal grows closer.

He told the British media the UK would not be a "client state" to the EU, adding that Britain would be exiting the transition period "come what may" after December 31.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, speaking to Sky News on Sunday, said the negotiations had been "boiled down to two outstanding bones of contention" - control of UK fishing waters and the level of taxpayer support the Government will be able to provide businesses - and argued neither "principle" could not be "haggled away".

Mr Johnson will make clear today that the UK will not budge, telling his counterparts in Brussels the Government "cannot and will not compromise on the fundamentals of what it means to be an independent country", and will look to turn attention to preparing for no-deal.

The Prime Minister is expected to say: "We are now entering the final phase of our negotiations with the EU.

"The EU have been very clear about the timetable. I am too. There needs to be an agreement with our European friends by the time of the European Council on October 15 if it's going to be in force by the end of the year.

"If we can't agree by then, then I do not see that there will be a free trade agreement between us, and we should both accept that and move on."

But Mr Johnson, in an apparent bid to focus minds before another set of talks get underway, will say that there is "still an agreement to be had", one that is based on deals Brussels has previously struck with "Canada and so many others".

The Prime Minister will add: "Even at this late stage, if the EU are ready to rethink their current positions and agree this I will be delighted."