Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Financial Timesreported yesterday that the British Government intended to introduce legislation that would have the effect of not only undermining but breaking the withdrawal agreement entered into by the European Union and the Government of the United Kingdom. It was stated then that this was merely sabre-rattling or gamesmanship. Today, however, the Secretary of State for Northern, Brandon Lewis, informed Members of Parliament in the House of Commons that the British Government does intend to introduce legislation tomorrow that will "break international law in a very specific and limited way."

I was astonished when I heard that. I thought that it must have been a typographical error by the newspaper that reported it. I checked it, however, and, alarmingly, those are the words that were used by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. We know now that this is not gamesmanship or sabre-rattling. It is, instead, clearly an effort by a rudderless and reckless British Government to try to undermine the European Union regarding agreements reached previously.

What is the policy of the European Union and of the Irish Government in responding to this statement by the British Government? What we cannot do is become appeasers of a government that is blatantly engaging in breaches of international law.

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