Coveney: Irish trucks facing significant disruption under Brexit

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Simon Coveney has said he is “very concerned” Irish trucks will be severely delayed in the UK after January 1 because of Brexit, whether a trade deal is agreed or not.

In an interview with the Irish Examiner, the foreign affairs minister also warned there will be no EU-UK trade agreement if British prime minister Boris Johnson pushes ahead with legislation that would see Britain break international law.

In relation to the UK landbridge, Mr Coveney is warning Irish trucks are facing “significant disruption”.

“Britain cannot control what happens in their own ports in the context of January 1, and we are expecting potentially significant disruption, but certainly some disruption, which will mean long queues, long waits to get onto ferries, because of the extra checks that will be required,” he said.

“Our big problem will be in British ports because I don't see a situation if you have a 5km-long queue to get onto ships, I don't believe that anyone is going to wave Irish trucks to the front of the queue."

Irish companies should be looking at contingency plans around direct ferry routes to Europe, he said.

Mr Coveney again expressed concern at the Internal Market Bill being championed by Mr Johnson.

“Even if we do get a new trade deal negotiated by both sides, if the British government is determined to continue with their Internal Market Bill — to reintroduce parts of that bill that were removed by the House of Lords this week — then I think this is a deal that won’t be ratified by the EU,” he said. 

“There is no way the EU will agree to ratify a new agreement if the British government is breaking the existing agreement that is not even 12 months old, and breaking international law by doing that."