Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is absolutely unacceptable for the British Government to bandy about the idea that it is okay to breach international law. It is like playing poker with a guy who never keeps to the rules. It is an impossible and unacceptable position. It is almost a throwback to previous imperial times when British Governments did deals and reneged on them. Considering where we have come from, this situation is utterly unacceptable.

I welcome what the Minister said. There is mitigation involved in the withdrawal agreement and Northern Ireland-Ireland protocol relating to the Single Market and customs. Those measures apply to businesses but this is also about the island we inhabit and cross-Border operations. We need any transition to be as seamless as possible. We do not want any impact on people's lives and it must be pointed out to the EU that the UK position is absolutely unacceptable. The Irish Government must remain firm that we cannot accept this position in any way, shape or form. As has been said by many people, a circumvention of the Irish protocol and all that can come from that without the necessary protections in place, will be utterly unacceptable to the people. There must be no impositions, including Border checks and infrastructure.

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