The EU has issued reassurances to the British government over the Irish backstop.
In a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May, the EU Commission president John-Claude Juncker and the European Council’s Donald Tusk say the measure – aimed at preventing a hard border – would only ever be temporary.
Meanwhile, a Clare Fine Gael TD is insisting that Brexit won’t distract from day-to-day Dáil work, as Clare FM’s James Mulhall reports:
This morning, the EU issued reassurances to the British government over the Irish backstop, insisting it would not be a permanent measure.
The letter insists there can be no renegotiation, but it says it is not the EU’s preferred solution to avoiding a hard border, and they are determined to see the backstop replaced.
The backstop – designed to prevent a hard boarder on the island of Ireland – is THE bone of contention ahead of the House of Commons vote tomorrow evening, in which MPs will have their say on the Prime Minister’s deal.
One of those who’ll vote against it, former UK Brexit Secretary Boris Johnson says that if the deal is voted down, the backstop needs to go.
But Theresa May is warning that if her deal is vote down, then Brexit could be threatened, with MPs seemingly more likely to back a second referendum over crashing out altogether.
In a key speech this morning, she insisted politicians need to come together.
Here at home, it’s feared the dominance of Brexit could have a negative impact on Irish politics in the coming weeks and months.
The Dáil will have a huge legislative workload, particularly if there is no deal but Fianna Fáil’s Timmy Dooley is insisting that the government can’t be distracted from domestic matters.
However, a government TD in Clare has hit back at those comments.
Clarecastle Fine Gael TD Joe Carey says Brexit will be one of their primary concerns for 2019 – but they’re acutely aware of what else needs to be kept on their agenda.
