Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We agreed in this House that the core issue - and Deputies from all of the benches gave incredible solidarity to the Government - was maintaining a borderless island. As the Tánaiste indicated, all trade, including animal trade, between North and South is protected. That does not, however, include east-west trade, which is the bulk of our trade. That is, or should be, a core issue for us as well. It is an area, however, that we will have less control over if the UK leaves the EU. My central point, however, is that there has been a fundamental shift in British policy from that pursued by the May Government, which we had envisaged would have close alignment into the future, to that now being pursued by the Johnson Government, which has set out on the hard Brexiteer path of separating the UK from the standards of the EU to give themselves a trading advantage.

The Tánaiste has outlined what we have all known for three years. It has, however, taken that long to dawn on the hard Brexiteers. From the very first negotiations, they thought that they could have their cake and eat it, that they could have free access and be able to carry on other trade as well. My fear is that the Johnson Government is now determined to have a no deal immediately or else in 14 months, or whenever the trade talks end, when there is a failure to agree the free trade terms outlined by the Tánaiste. What preparations are we making for that eventuality if Johnson remains Prime Minister?

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