Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was told to prepare himself for “anachronistic upper-class mannerisms” as well as “controversial traditionalist views” ahead of an online meeting with the UK Conservative politician Jacob Rees-Mogg.
In prepared notes, Mr Varadkar – who was then serving as tánaiste and minister for enterprise – was briefed on the “retrograde steps” the British government had taken over the Northern Ireland protocol, documents obtained under a Freedom of Information request shows.
Ahead of a conference call with Mr Rees-Mogg, the briefing said Mr Varadkar could emphasise how both President Michael D Higgins and then-taoiseach Micheál Martin had attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. The notes said this had led to a “renewed focus on the strength and depth of the bilateral relationship” between the UK and Ireland.
However, the briefing – mostly prepared by the Irish Embassy in London and the Department of Foreign Affairs – said that this “spirit of partnership and mutual respect” had been damaged by recent post-Brexit negotiations with the European Union. The meeting last October was held not long after Liz Truss began her ill-fated seven-week stint as prime minister of the UK.
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The briefing notes said Mr Varadkar should emphasise that the people of Northern Ireland “categorically reject” the confrontational approach the United Kingdom had taken in Brexit discussions with the EU. It said “74 per cent of voters want to see a negotiated EU-UK solution [Queens University research]. University of Liverpool/Irish News data shows that approximately two-thirds of respondents view EU-UK negotiations as the best way to resolve issues around the protocol.”
If the subject of negotiations with the European Union came up, Mr Varadkar was briefed on several possible responses saying the EU’s door was open and that an extensive timetable for talks was still available.
“If it is true the UK wants a negotiated outcome, they need to demonstrate good faith soon to avoid more polarisation on the ground in Northern Ireland and more harm to relationships between our two governments,” said the briefing. It also said the European Union did not believe all options had been exhausted and that there was sufficient flexibility within the existing Northern Ireland protocol to address the concerns of people and businesses there.
The briefing added: “Renegotiation of the protocol itself is not necessary. EU member states are united in this position.” If challenged on growing paperwork for hauliers and other businesses involved in cross-Border trade, it was suggested that Mr Varadkar could say EU proposals would actually reduce this. The notes said: “Rather than a certificate for every product, a single certificate would fit on a maximum of three pages.”
The briefing said a so-called “dual regulatory regime” was not a runner and would represent a real risk to the manufacturing, agri-food, and other sectors.
“It would also bring unacceptable risks to the EU’s single market and the high standards of consumer, plant, and animal health that EU citizens expect,” said the documents. If told that the protocol was damaging Northern Ireland, suggested speaking notes for Mr Varadkar said it had actually placed it in a “uniquely advantageous position” with access to both the EU and UK markets.
As a closing note, it said: “The EU wishes to have a positive and stable relationship with the UK. We are partners facing the same global challenges, where upholding the rule of law is imperative.”
On what to expect from the meeting with Mr Rees-Mogg, a Department of Foreign Affairs briefing said he had been dubbed “the honourable member for the eighteenth century” by critics.
It added: “His comments in the House have gained him notoriety; he once considered Welsh to be a ‘foreign language’ and said that council officials with the power to issue on-the-spot fines should be made to wear bowler hats.”
