Bertie Ahern: Relations between Ireland and UK are 'badly damaged'

Former taoiseach said likelihood of a trade war between the EU and UK now 'a step or two closer' after British government moved to scrap the Northern Ireland Protocol

British prime minister Tony Blair and taoiseach Bertie Ahern sign the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998: Mr Ahern said it had been very successful in ending the political violence but it has not been as successful as he or Tony Blair had hoped it would be. Picture: RollingNews.ie/Pool

A trade war between the EU and the UK is highly likely now that London has moved new laws to scrap the Northern Ireland Protocol, former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said.

Addressing a meeting of the Institute of International and European Affairs, Mr Ahern said that while he was an optimist, the likelihood of such a trade war is now “a step or two closer”.

Citing comments from EU Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič, Mr Ahern said if the bill is enacted as presented, or with slight amendments, then you are onto the grounds of a trade war.

Mr Ahern said a trade war could mean many things.

“I don't believe that the trade war would be across everything. I assume what the European Union would do, they would take selected areas and hit those well, but that is a very undesirable position for everyone,” he said.

He said the legislation of last week was very unhelpful.

Relations between the EU, Ireland and the UK are “badly damaged” because of the UK Government’s actions.

Mr Ahern said while the protocol was working, businesses in the North have some “legitimate concerns” but criticised the lack of technical engagement from the British government since last year to overcome such issues.

He said there were still too many checks being proposed on the movement of goods between Britain and Northern Ireland but these are matters which can be overcome.

Mr Ahern, who was taoiseach between 1997 and 2008, said the European Union side must protect the integrity of the single market and said this could see the entire island of Ireland subject to checks into mainland Europe if this impasse can not be resolved.

“The checks will have to go somewhere,” he added.

Mr Ahern made clear that much of the problems relate to domestic British politics and Boris Johnson’s ongoing political difficulties and not the substantive issues contained in the protocol.

He said the business community in the North are wise, clever men and women and they want those advantages that the protocol offers them.

He said were Simon Coveney dealing with the unionists on this, he would find it far easier to find a solution with the EU than dealing with British foreign secretary Liz Truss.

He said the bigger difficulties are not in the North but in London.

Asked to review the legacy of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, Mr Ahern said it had been very successful in ending the political violence but it has not been as successful as he or Tony Blair had hoped it would be.

He said the institutions remain too unstable and now is not the time to be calling for a border poll when such instability is present.