Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Last December the British Government signed up to a deal to avoid a hard border on our island, safeguard the Good Friday Agreement, in all of its parts, and ensure there would be no loss of citizens' rights. At the time we were told that there was a deal to provide a backstop that would recognise the unique circumstances of the North and all of Ireland in the event that a comprehensive free trade deal was not agreed to in the future. We were told that the agreed arrangement would be enshrined in an operable legal text by March. That did not happen. We were then told that the British Government would produce firm proposals by the time of the June meeting of the European Council. That did not happen either. Then the deadline became October. Clearly, that deadline is now to be breached. Yesterday the Taoiseach said negotiations could continue into next month or up to the meeting of the European Council in December. The long and the short of it is that time is quickly running out for a deal to be struck. This is a direct consequence of the British Government's prevarication and abysmal failure to produce any realistic proposal. Its latest proposal for a time-limited backstop means that, in reality, there is no backstop at all. I met the British Prime Minister yesterday and have made this point bluntly to her. I have told her that she needs to live up to the commitments made last December and that nothing less will do. I have told her that she needs to place the Good Friday Agreement, progress and the unique circumstances of Ireland above short-term political calculations and expediency.

Regrettably, her toxic deal with the DUP has undermined progress. The DUP has moved from a position of trying to prevent a hard border to actively promoting one. The reality is that it does not represent the majority view of citizens in the North who voted to remain; they opposed Brexit. Those in the DUP cannot be allowed to dictate the pace of Brexit and undermine our agreements that have delivered so much for Ireland and Britain. I hope that last evening, in the course of his conversation with Ms Arlene Foster, the Taoiseach made these points to her.

When he travels to Brussels tomorrow, there will be an onus on him to defend and promote an all-Ireland view and to insist that commitments made are commitments honoured. He told us last December that we had a cast-iron guarantee in respect of Ireland. Nothing less than that will do. Nothing less than that will be acceptable. I hope the Taoiseach brings that message clearly to the European Council tomorrow. Can he confirm for the House that no withdrawal agreement will be struck without a legally binding and operable backstop to protect Irish interests?

See this speech in context