Clause to block UK reneging on border expected to be agreed by EU leaders

A clause to prevent Britain reneging on its Brexit promise of no fresh border in the North is expected to be agreed by EU leaders.

Clause to block UK reneging on border expected to be agreed by EU leaders

Leo Varadkar will meet his counterparts in Brussels today at a summit where EU banking, migration concerns, security matters and Brexit among issues will be discussed over two days.

But Ireland’s concerns and recently secured backstop on preventing a border will be front and centre of the summit, where leaders are set to agree to move onto phase two of the Brexit talks on a future trade deal between Britain and the EU as well as the transition period.

Speaking in advance of travelling to Brussels, government sources confirmed the special clause would be integrated into the guidelines for negotiations on phase two of the Brexit talks.

It will prevent London walking back on the deal agreed last week which will allow regulations North and South to be aligned even if Brexit talks collapse.

Mr Varadkar told the Dáil: “It is important to stress that this agreement will be held in all circumstances, unless and until all other possible options for the future relationship between the EU and the UK have been agreed.”

He said Ireland would hold a specific position in the phase two talks. “There will continue to be a distinct strand on Ireland in phase two of these negotiations.”

His comments came as EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier pledged the phase one deal would be built into the Brexit outcome. In the European Parliament, he said: “We will not accept any going back on this joint report. This progress has been agreed and will be rapidly translated into a withdrawal accord that is legally binding in all three areas and on some others that remain to be negotiated.”

He said the next talks would focus on a “short and defined” transition period and initial parts of a future relationship with the bloc.

The support for Ireland and the phase one deal came after surprise comments from Britain’s Brexit secretary David Davis last week, who called it a “statement of intent”, remarks which have sparked a backlash and are now one of the main reasons EU members are likely to agree to strengthen the deal’s terms.

A US decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, security issues including the Permanent Structured Cooperation, and concerns about migration and resettlement will also be addressed by EU leaders.

Meanwhile, Tánaiste Simon Coveney has said the Department of Foreign Affairs has stopped circulating a weekly Brexit report to key Irish officials following a leak last month.

The document outlined criticisms of Britain’s performance in Brexit talks from interviews with ministers, politicians, civil servants and others in the EU.

Department secretary general Niall Burgess was speaking to officials about the leak, the Tánaiste added.

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