Murray – Barclay’s demand that the EU takes risks over Irish border ‘disgraceful and shocking’

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay has said that the UK will not be ready to discuss any backstop arrangement for the border in Ireland until December 2020. Barclay demanded the EU “take risks” with the Irish border.

Commenting, Ian Murray MP, leading supporter of the People’s Vote campaign, said:

“It is disgraceful and shocking that ministers are now admitting that they have no workable plan for the Irish border and won’t have one for more than a year, and yet are demanding that Brexit takes place ‘do or die’ on 31 October.

“Their admission they have no workable plan comes at the last minute and after weeks of telling us they had solutions ready to go.

“Stephen Barclay and Boris Johnson are treating the economy, peace, security and progress in Northern Ireland as though they were a game. It is reckless in the extreme.

“They must not be allowed to force their dangerous and undemocratic plans for Brexit on our country.

“It is shameful that a minister like Barclay can demand ‘risks’ are taken with the Irish border when only yesterday the Chief Constable of the PSNI said his officers’ lives would be under threat from a hard Brexit.

“Ministers are wandering around Europe telling people they haven’t a clue how they are going to fix the Irish border question as though it was a minor detail. I wonder if it was their lives or those of their family members at stake if they would be so blasé about it?

“We cannot trust Boris Johnson to do the right thing for peace in Northern Ireland. Instead we must trust the people to have the final say on Brexit in a People’s Vote.”

/ends

Notes to editors