TÁNAISTE Leo Varadkar has warned that the UK risks losing the trust of countries around the world for failing to stick to its own Brexit deal with the European Union.
The former Taoiseach spoke out following social media claims made by ex-Downing Street top aide Dominic Cummings that he intended Boris Johnson to "ditch bits we didn't like" in the Withdrawal Agreement that created the NI Protocol.
Mr Cummings, who quit his post at Number 10 last November, said on Monday in a tweet that the government "wriggled thro (sic)" with the "best option" available in terms of a deal, adding "we prioritised".
The Vote Leave chief claimed the British government he advised was faced with "deep state" pressure to either hold another referendum on leaving the EU or have "BRINO" (Brexit in name only).
He added: "Getting Brexit done is 10000x more important than lawyers yapping re international law".
Mr Cummings also posted a claim that Boris Johnson "never had a scoobydoo what the deal he signed meant" and "he never understood what leaving Customs Union meant".
With the EU presenting new proposals to mitigate the impact of the NI Protocol, Mr Varadkar has said the debacle could lead to a greater distrust of the UK globally.
Speaking on RTÉ yesterday, Mr Varadkar called the situation "alarming".
"For decades, for centuries, British people in many ways were renowned by the fact that they were honourable people; people whose word you could trust, and essentially what Dominic Cummings now is saying is that this is now a country that makes treaties, that strikes agreements and then intends to renege on them," he said.
"That message must resonate around the world - don't make any agreement with the British government, don't sign any treaty with the UK until you can be confident that this is a country that can honour its promises."
