Simon Coveney: Northern Ireland Protocol issue needs 'to be settled'

The Foreign Affairs Minister said that 'between now and the end of the year', Ireland wants to agree a position to settle it 'once and for all'

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Simon Coveney criticised remarks madeby former UK government advisor Dominic Cummings, who said Britain always intended to 'wriggle through' the Brexit deal.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has described reports that Downing Street always intended to ditch the Northern Ireland Protocol following Brexit as "worrying", but that the issue needs "to be settled once and for all".

Dominic Cummings, the former adviser to Boris Johnson until a spectacular falling out with the prime minister earlier this year, claimed that what was signed by the British Government was a way to "wriggle through" a Brexit deal.

Whack Corbyn

It was done to "whack" Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the Labour Party and electoral rival to Mr Johnson's Conservatives, Mr Cummings claimed, but that breaking the deal was okay as all states did so.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar described the comments as "very alarming because that would indicate that this is a government administration that acted in bad faith".

Speaking in Cork today, Mr Coveney said: "I think they are worrying comments (from Dominic Cummings) — I think people are asking themselves the question was this the plan all the time from the UK government. 

"But my view on this is that it’s unhelpful to rake over all of those issues. The focus now on the EU side and, I hope, on the British Government side should be on solving problems, ensuring that the protocol can actually function in a way that everybody can accept so that we can move on and focus on other more positive issues.

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"The behaviour of the British Government is something that they will have to answer for, but from our perspective, we are in solutions mode and we want to encourage constructive and positive discussion now, including with unionist leaders in Northern Ireland to try and make sure that between now and the end of the year, we can try to agree a position that can allow the protocols issue to be settled once and for all."

The EU proposed slashing bureaucracy this week in the hope of breaking the deadlock that would see an 80% reduction in agri-food checks to the North from Britain.

Denied

Mr Coveney denied they were concessions.

"This is the EU responding to genuine issues that have been raised in terms of the implementation of the protocol in Northern Ireland. Vice President Maroš Šefčovič, who is the key negotiator on the EU side, went to Northern Ireland, he listened to businesses there.

"He listened to political leaders there and he said he would try and respond to their concerns with pragmatic measures that would show the maximum level of flexibility possible but within the confines and rules of the protocol and that is exactly what he has delivered. This week, I think, has been proof positive that the EU is listening to the concerns of Northern Ireland of everybody - unionist, nationalist, business leaders, stakeholders, civil society. 

"The EU is listening to all of their concerns and has responded with a very comprehensive package, as we said we would, and I think the response in London is a separate matter. 

"If you look at how business leaders have responded in Northern Ireland, it has been almost universally positive in the business community."

Trying to create a political narrative of winners and losers is "unhelpful but not surprising from some in Westminister", Mr Coveney said.

"For us, this is not about people being triumphalist or not, this is about trying to solve problems," he said.