Sammy Wilson: Irish no-deal Brexit plans undermine backstop case

The Omnibus Bill, which will be fast-tracked through the Oireachtas parliament in Dublin, is designed to support businesses and jobs impacted by a no-deal and secure ongoing access to essential services and products across the Irish border.

The huge suite of proposed legislation, which will only become law if the UK leaves on March 29 without a deal, was published as the EU Commission confirmed it was relaxing certain state aid regulations in preparation for Brexit - a move that will give the government in Dublin more latitude to offer support to farms and other affected businesses.

But DUP Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson said such a move would be contrary to EU state aid rules, which prevent governments from assisting businesses through subsidies and grants.

Questioning the additional support being given by Dublin to Irish companies, the East Antrim MP said: “During this negotiating process, the EU has always claimed to be a ‘rules based system’ and they have a strict adherence to those rules. Will this be the same for state aid in the Republic of Ireland?

“The EU was demanding Northern Ireland remain part of customs union and regulatory regime to maintain the single market integrity yet this type of support for Irish business will undermine that regulatory regime.

“This completely undermines the RoI case for the backstop and flies in the face of Brussels’ rationale for the backstop.”

Mr Wilson also highlighted that the Irish contingency plans do not touch upon the issue of border checkpoints, which he said demonstrates that a hard border on the island of Ireland is not necessary.

He added: “No one is building a so-called hard border or going back to checkpoints with soldiers. Such talk was rhetoric designed to ferment fear in genuine communities along both sides of the border. To manipulate people’s fears in such a way was careless and reckless.”

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that while his government is doing “all we can” to avoid a no-deal scenario, he added: “We need to be ready in case it does happen.”

Deputy premier Simon Coveney unveiled the legislative package at Government Buildings in Dublin on Friday morning, but said he hoped the Bill would never need to be enacted.

“My only desire is to see this legislation sit on the shelf,” he said.

Mr Coveney said a no-deal scenario would be a “lose, lose, lose - for the UK, for the EU and for Ireland”.

The proposed laws – made up of 15 parts – cover a range of areas and focus on protecting Irish citizens’ rights, supporting businesses and jobs, healthcare, transport, education and energy.

The Bill will be debated in the Dail next week and then in committees the following week, before being debated in the Seanad.