Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 9 December 2020
Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs
Brexit Issues: Members of the House of Commons
Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source
I wish Mr. Benn a good morning. It is good to talk to him again. The last time I shared a Brexit platform with Mr. Kinnock was in the incongruous setting of the Beatles museum in Liverpool. It brought a surreal dimension to a serious debate.
We need to see the detail of what was worked out by the Gove-Sefcovic negotiations yesterday. Until I see the document, my authority is Mr. Tony Connelly of RTÉ, who published a briefing this morning that indicates there is a great deal of unsettled business. When we see the detail, I do not think this will be a finished matter and I believe there will be some pushback, but we will wait and see.
Regarding the trade agreement, we constantly talk around the same three issues. We throw in words like "sovereignty" as if sovereignty only applies to one side. Obviously, the sovereignty of the Internal Market has to be protected as well.
I will focus on the next phase because the other two elements are largely outside our control. A deal will be struck in the next few days or it will not. I am deeply concerned about the future consequences for relationships between Ireland and the UK in particular. Obviously, the relationship between Ireland and the EU is important, but the relationship between Ireland and the UK is strategically important for us all. If there is no deal, there will be a fair degree of acrimony, which will make getting back to the table for the inevitable deal that has to be struck much more problematic and difficult.
As parliamentarians, we can play a part in addressing some of these concerns. Mr. Mills mentioned the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly. I am a new member of it and hope to work on the economic side, which will be important. The BIPA has functioned, but we can revitalise it in a way that has not previously been done and that greatly strengthens the bilateral relationship that will be significantly dislodged if there is a thin deal, which is the best option on the table right now, or seriously impacted if there is no deal at all. I would be interested in whoever Mr. Benn nominates addressing the aftermath and how we can work together as parliamentarians to ensure the strongest co-operation and economic reconnection. For example, Ireland has opened a new consulate in the north of England as part of our preparations, but that is only one in a series of steps that we need to take.
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