Leo Varadkar's 'false contrition' over Brexit slammed as EU shows 'no change' in position

Leo Varadkar's 'false contrition' over Brexit slammed as EU shows 'no change' in position

Ireland's Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said mistakes were made on all sides in the handling of Brexit, but vowed to be flexible and reasonable when attempting to solve issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Brexiteer Ben Habib has accused Leo Varadkar of showing "false contrition" and claimed there is no change to the Irish Taoiseach or European Union's position over the Northern Ireland Protocol. Mr Habib said while some people appear to be taking Mr Varadkar's words at face value, his contrition is false and he simply wishes to appear reasonable.
The former Brexit Party MEP tweeted: "His contrition is false. He simply wishes to appear reasonable. There is no change in his or the EU’s position. The only concessions they might offer over the Protocol will be optical. Don’t be fooled!"
Mr Habib told Express.co.uk: "Leo Varadkar is disingenuous. His recent contrite remarks on Brexit are a deception. He was responsible in 2018 for weaponizing the Irish border issue. He has not had any sort of Damascene conversion since then.
A year before his implicit threats of violence, in November 2017, a report was published which described how a smart border for customs checks could be created on the island. The report concluded: 'It is possible to implement a Customs and Border solution that meets the requirements of the EU Customs legislation (Union Customs Code) and procedures, with expected post-Brexit volumes of cross-border people and goods, if using a combination of international standards, global best practices and state-of-the-art technology upgraded to a Smart Border 2.0 or similar solution.'

"Importantly, the recommendations in the report ensured the Common Travel Area, which is a cornerstone for harmony on the island, would in no way be compromised."

He added: "The above is, of course, obvious to any sane minded individual. What is more remarkable is that the report was published by the EU."

The 2017 study commissioned by the European Parliament provided background on cross-border movement and trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It also identified international standards and best practices to create a smooth border.

Mr Habib continued: "Even though Varadkar (and the EU) knew there was no risk to peace from a customs border, he went to Brussels brandishing photos of bombed out border posts from 1972. The threat he made was clear – if a customs border, or a hard border as he called it, were to be placed on the island, violence would return.

"It was this more than anything that cowed Theresa May’s and then Boris Johnson’s governments over Brexit. May wanted to keep the entire UK in the EU’s Single Market, thereby neutering Brexit. Johnson, instead, with the Protocol, threw Northern Ireland under a bus and partitioned the United Kingdom with a border down the Irish Sea. Without a single shot fired, Johnson and Lord Frost surrendered Northern Ireland to the EU.

If Varadkar were now genuinely contrite, he would advocate the ripping up of the Protocol. He is not. His faux humility is cover for the EU and himself insisting on the Protocol remaining in place but with (and this is his likely optical concession) customs checks across the Irish Sea made less visible.

Varadkar and his masters in Brussels said the price of Brexit would be Northern Ireland and they are intent on that prize. Past precedent and Sunak’s supine attitude to the EU suggest the British Government will do nothing to protect the integrity of the United Kingdom."