Opinion

Spotlight on Teresa Villiers

Secretary of state Teresa Villiers has left herself in an exceptionally difficult position by attempting to contradict the findings of a report by her own government on the grave implications presented for Northern Ireland by any UK vote to leave the EU.

The Cabinet Office paper, as we reported last week, was absolutely categorical that `difficult issues' would have to be confronted in both parts of Ireland in the event of the forthcoming referendum resulting in a British exit, known as Brexit.

It specifically concluded that customs checks would then become `necessary', with further questions to be answered about the status of the common travel area across the island and the impact on cross-border cooperation and trade.

In a subsequent Irish News interview, Ms Villiers caused considerable surprise by dismissing the concerns set out in the official Whitehall document as a `scare story' and claiming that `the idea of returning to the security checks of the Troubles is just not credible.'

She spoke in vague terms of a `common sense' approach to addressing the massive upheaval a Brexit would cause in the border region and the possibility of coming up with an undefined system which would avoid what she referred to as `inconvenience.'

Despite her stance, very few observers are in any doubt that the Cabinet Office assessment was completely correct and a withdrawal decision would inevitably lead to customs measures being imposed along the full length of the UK's only land frontier with an EU state.

Ms Villiers must surely be aware of the massive and destabilising security infrastructure which would have to surround such an outcome, and the enormous complications which would follow in places like Derry city where the border has effectively disappeared underneath new commercial and residential developments.

Her contention that wider relationships with Dublin would not be damaged by a Brexit was bewildering and suggested a basic failure to acknowledge the clearly expressed views of all the major parties in the Dail.

Although the secretary of state said that her general opinion was shared by the largest Stormont party, the DUP has actually maintained a noticeably low-key attitude towards the referendum and is even allowing individual members to take opposing sides in the debate.

The weekend confirmation that the Ulster Unionists are firmly in the pro-EU camp means that four of the main five Assembly groups, representing an overwhelming majority of MLAs, are sharply at odds with the secretary of state.

Leading figures from Alliance, Sinn Fein and the SDLP have all now expressed direct criticisms over the role of Ms Villiers in the EU campaign, and the spotlight on her can be expected to intensify in the run-up to polling day on June 23.

She has insisted that she has no intention of resigning, but public confidence in her ability to observe all the requirements of her office is plainly eroding.