Opinion

Donald Tusk declaration of support raises the Brexit stakes

At the end of a week which has seen considerable mudslinging in the direction of the Irish government, the taoiseach yesterday received a resounding declaration of support from European Council President Donald Tusk, who pledged the backing of the EU over the border issue.

It is abundantly clear from the public statements in recent days that we are reaching the critical point in the Brexit negotiations.

The British government seems to have done enough to satisfy the EU27 over two of the three preconditions, namely the rights of citizens and the amount it is willing to pay in the divorce bill.

But the outstanding and apparently intractable sticking point remains the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Leo Varadkar and foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney have made it plain they are not prepared to proceed to the next phase of talks on trade, which the British government is desperate to do, until concrete details are agreed on the movement of people and goods throughout this island.

As Mr Coveney put it earlier this week in an Irish News interview, Dublin would not `take a leap into the dark' on the basis of vague assurances.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Coveney said: ''The area that we've focused in on is the need to give reassurance that there will not be regulatory divergence between the two jurisdictions on the island of Ireland, because if there is, then it is very hard to avoid a checking system.''

Some sort of agreed wording is required by the Irish side to prevent the re-emergence of the border but the problem for the British government is finding a solution that will be acceptable to the taoiseach.

The DUP reacted with fury to a report in The Times this week that said British negotiators had proposed devolving more powers to Stormont to enable `customs convergence' with the Republic in areas such as agriculture and energy.

East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson threatened to withdraw support for Theresa May's government over the issue, a card that can only be played so often before the prime minister decides to call the DUP's bluff on the basis that another election could risk a Labour victory.

In a further sign that the DUP is getting worried about what the Tories might agree to, even former first minister Peter Robinson joined in the attacks on the Irish government.

Mr Tusk's robust statement of support in Dublin yesterday, saying if the UK's offer was unacceptable to Ireland then it would also be unacceptable for the rest of the EU, will raise the stakes ahead of Monday's talks in Brussels between Mrs May and Jean-Claude Juncker.

We are now entering the crucial stage of this process with the pressure on the British government to come up with a solution that meets the demands of an Irish government that now has an effective veto on Brexit negotiations moving forward.