Irish minister decries 'lack of UK leadership' over Brexit
2 min read
A Government of Ireland minister has accused the UK of having "no leadership" and being politically "incoherent" over Brexit.
Michael Creed said there was "kerfuffle" and "instability" coming from British ministers that was jeopardising the outcome for the Republic.
He warned that if no deal is struck between the UK and Brussels it would be "the worst possible deal" for Ireland.
Theresa May has promised no hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland after Brexit, but the issue is a point of major concern in Dublin.
David Davis kicked off the second round of Brexit talks in Brussels yesterday with the Irish border high on the negotiating agenda.
But Mr Creed sounded a stark warning when he said there was "no political coherence" coming from the British government.
"There is no leadership on Brexit. Various ministers talk about hard Brexit, soft Brexit, no deal being better than a bad deal. The worst possible deal is no deal, both for them and for us," the Agriculture Minister told the Irish Examiner.
"The lack of any coherence is a huge problem for us... It appears to me that the instability is spilling over, impacting on the kind of Brexit."
He said businesses were "growing a backbone and are now filling a vacuum" left by the lack of leadership and warned of an "existential challenge for the agri-food sector".
The minister also said the problems may not diminish until the question mark over Theresa May’s leadership went away.
“I would suspect that you’re in a situation where there’s going to be a leadership challenge to Theresa May and, until that issue is firmly resolved, there’ll be no coherence around their strategy," he said.
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