Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests from Ukraine who are addressing the Seanad. I condemn yesterday's action by the British Government in moving to publish legislation to undermine the Northern Ireland protocol. The legislation clearly amounts to a breach of international law. We have all seen that the introduction of the Bill is already damaging the relationship between Britain and the EU. It is a reckless and dangerous approach to a sensitive issue and it has the potential to undermine seriously the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process. Where compromise and trust are needed, we instead see the British Government opting to ratchet up tensions by pursuing unilateral action and ignoring its international obligations. In effect, we are seeing Johnson's Government acting like a rogue state. It is as if Donald Trump had moved into No. 10 Downing Street.

This is clearly a matter of immense concern to all of us and, notably, it will have the most difficult and devastating effect on the people of Northern Ireland, who, as we see, are being used, in effect, by the Tory Government as a proxy in its own internal battle. As Tony Connelly of RTÉ put it, "Boris Johnson has courted the hard-line European Research Group (ERG) to try to cling to his position", and we are now seeing the Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, seeking to do the same in an internal Tory battle for power. This is no way to do business. We are all agreed on that. The path the British Government is pursuing will cause economic uncertainty, hinder the potential for growth in Northern Ireland and, as I have said, risks setting back and undermining the hard-won peace process.

It is not too late to call for a return to constructive talks with the EU. I met last week with the leader of the Opposition in Britain, Keir Starmer, as did the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney. I put it to him that to proceed with this reckless and dangerous legislation is unconscionable. Mr. Starmer has put that in clear terms himself.

Yesterday, we also saw a cross-party grouping of MLAs in the Northern Ireland Assembly write to Prime Minister Johnson. That group of MLAs represents the majority of voters in Northern Ireland who support collaboration and continued operation of the protocol. Their message is that the Johnson Government must end the charade that its actions are somehow being undertaken to protect the Good Friday Agreement. We know that is not the case and the Taoiseach has been clear on this too. Those MLAs have called, as we do, for engagement by the British Government with the EU in further negotiation and for honesty about the inevitable consequences of this British Government's unilateral action.

The clear message that we want to give, which is shared across this House, is that we in this jurisdiction must not be bullied by the Conservative Party and its political allies. Given the approach of the British Government, which we have seen seeking, effectively, à la cartelegal advice as to the consequences and content of this legislation, will the Taoiseach confirm that our Government's advice is that we now, unfortunately, due to the unilateral action of the British Government, face the risk of seeing an undermining of the peace process and even a return to a harder border on this island? Is that risk now facing us, contrary to what this British Government's so-called à la cartelegal advice is supposedly telling it?

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