The British government’s lack of transparency over plans for a “soft border” on the island of Ireland and other aspects of Brexit talks have been criticised by the European ombudsman.
As the second round of negotiations began in Brussels, Emily O’Reilly said that she had yet to see any options for a soft border between the Republic and Northern Ireland laid out by the Conservative Party. She warned against “mixed signals” and “uncontrolled leaks” coming from Theresa May’s cabinet in place of a clear, transparent plan.
Her statements came as Alan Dukes, the former Fine Gael leader, said that Ireland was facing a hard border and high tariffs following Britain’s “egregiously stupid” decision to leave the EU.
Ms O’Reilly told parliamentarians from Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey that voters needed to be given as much neutral information as possible. “The people at the very least deserve honesty and honesty at every stage of this process,” she said.
Ms O’Reilly said that it was inconceivable that leaks would not emerge and it would be better to publish as much as possible to control the spin.
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At a meeting of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly in Kilkenny, the ombudsman praised the attitude of Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, towards transparency. “While much of Brexit is highly technical and bureaucratic, it is still being played out on a political stage and if greater transparency is seen to be useful to one side then greater transparency we shall have,” Ms O’Reilly said. She described the negotiations as the “greatest chess game of our lives”.
Robin Barnett, Britain’s ambassador to Ireland, addressed the issue of the border and said the UK government “got” that north-south movement and trade was an “essential part of daily life”.
“My point is that, notwithstanding the inevitable challenges ahead, our relationship need not be defined by Brexit,” Mr Barnett said.
Mr Dukes told the MacGill Summer School yesterday that last summer’s referendum had reflected the “authentic voice of England” as Scotland and Northern Ireland had voted to remain.
“I am a quarter English, I have a great regard for the English and I’m devastated they have participated in what must be one of the two most egregiously stupid decisions of this decade: this and Donald Trump,” Mr Dukes said.
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Yesterday Simon Coveney, the foreign affairs minister, said the government would not accept electronic tagging as a post-Brexit border solution.
Stephen Donnelly, Fianna Fáil’s Brexit spokesman, said he was concerned that no British government department had dedicated a working group to its relationship with Ireland.
“It has become apparent that 18 working groups have been set up across a variety of departments but not one of these has the express focus of ensuring that, post-Brexit, the relationship with Ireland in terms of trade, travel, tourism, agriculture, the Good Friday agreement and the Northern Ireland peace process is protected,” he said.