LONDON: The European Union has acted in an “offensive” way by repeatedly refusing to treat Northern Ireland as part of the UK, Dominic Raab has claimed.
The Foreign Secretary deepened the rift with Brussels over the trading arrangements which apply to Northern Ireland under the Brexit deal, accusing EU figures of showing a lack of respect to the UK.
His comments came after Emmanuel Macron reportedly suggested Northern Ireland was not part of the UK during his talks with Boris Johnson in the margins of the G7 summit.
“What we cannot have is the continuing disruption of trade and effectively try to change the status of Northern Ireland, contrary to the consent and wishes of the people, which is not just contrary to the Northern Ireland Protocol but also to the Belfast Agreement,” Raab told Sky News.
“We have serially seen senior EU figures talk about Northern Ireland as if it was some kind of different country to the UK. It is not only offensive, it has real world effects on the communities in Northern Ireland, creates great concern, great consternation.
“Could you imagine if we talked about Catalonia, the Flemish part of Belgium, one of the lander in Germany, northern Italy, Corsica in France as different countries? We need a bit of respect here.”
Johnson has threatened to unilaterally delay the imposition of checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea to Northern Ireland in protest at the way in which the deal he agreed is being implemented.
The Prime Minister met French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Charles Michel in the margins of the summit on Saturday.
Johnson appeared frustrated at the way the talks had gone, saying: “I’ve talked to some of our friends here today who do seem to misunderstand that the UK is a single country and a single territory. I think they just need to get that into their heads.”
The comment may have been prompted by his talks with Macron over the ban on shipping chilled meats from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, which is due to come into force at the end of the month.
The Sunday Telegraph said the Prime Minister attempted to explain his frustration with the Northern Ireland Protocol – the part of the Brexit divorce deal covering the arrangements – by asking Macron what he would do if sausages from Toulouse could not be moved to Paris.
The French president reportedly claimed the comparison did not work because Paris and Toulouse were both part of the same country, wrongly suggesting Northern Ireland is not within the UK.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said he was “not going to get drawn into the discussions the Prime Minister had with president Macron”.
In the main business on the final day of the summit, the leaders of the G7 – the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany and Italy – will make a series of environmental commitments in Carbis Bay.
Environmentalist Sir David Attenborough will deliver a pre-recorded message to the G7, plus guests Australia, India, South Korea and South Africa, at a session on climate and nature.
The G7 will also endorse a nature compact, aimed at halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 – including supporting the global target to conserve or protect at least 30% of land and oceans by the end of the decade.