In its proposals Britain has insisted that there must be “no return to the hard borders of the past”, ensuring that people and goods can travel freely between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.
“As Michel Barnier [the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator] himself has said, the solution cannot be based on a precedent so we’re looking forward to seeing the EU’s position paper on Ireland.” said an EU source.
“But it’s right that as we shape the unprecedented model, we have some very clear principles. Top of our list is to agree upfront no physical border infrastructure – that would mean a return to the border posts of the past and is completely unacceptable to the UK.”
The UK government also hope to maintain the Common Travel Area, rejecting the idea of a “sea border”, which would introduce passport checks on passengers arriving at ports and airports in the Republic.
“The government say they want trade across the Irish border to be frictionless and seamless, but actually they look clueless as to how they’re going to achieve that,” said Labour’s Northern Ireland spokesman, Owen Smith.
“Producing this paper in the absence of a Northern Ireland executive with no substantive consultation with any of the Northern Ireland parties further damages the ability of the British government to resolve the impasse in Northern Ireland,”
Steve Aiken, a UUP assembly member, is urging the Dublin government and nationalist parties in Northern Ireland to be positive about the UK’s proposals.
“I would caution the Republic of Ireland and nationalist parties against endlessly rubbishing whatever comes forward from the UK government. This should be about securing the best set of outcomes for the people of Northern Ireland, not trying to teach the UK government a lesson. The continued heckling gives rise to the perception that their focus is on the latter.” he said.
The Irish government released a statement saying they welcomed further detail on the UK’s plans.
“The taoiseach and the minister for foreign affairs and trade have called for greater clarity from the British government on its approach to the negotiations, and publication of the new paper is timely and helpful in this regard,”
“The emphasis on the priority areas identified by the government, including the Common Travel Area, the Good Friday agreement, north/south cooperation and avoiding a hard border is welcome. Protecting the peace process is crucial and it must not become a bargaining chip in the negotiations.”