Ahead of his St Patrick's Day trip to the US, Irish leader claims that the US will side with Ireland in Brexit border dispute with Britain.
Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar stated Friday that US Congress will not back a future trade deal with the UK that will undermine the Good Friday Agreement or an open border with Northern Ireland.
Varadkar remained confident of US support in ensuring the border would remain open in the future.
“Westminster might be the mother of all parliaments but it’s not the boss of other parliaments and I know the European Parliament will not vote for a withdrawal agreement that does not do right by Ireland," Varadkar said at a Fine Gael event (the governing Irish political party of which he is a leader).
Read more: Irish politician bets on a United Ireland within 5 years
US Congress will not support trade deal with UK that undermines open border - Varadkar #think32 https://t.co/STp1sJXZjb
— Senator Mark Daly (@SenatorMarkDaly) February 22, 2019
“And I don’t believe the United States Congress will agree to any trade between the US and the UK that would undermine the Good Friday Agreement and the open border between North and South.”
It is thought that Brexit will dominate much of the Taoiseach's time in the US as part of the annual St Patrick's Day ritual, which comes less than two weeks before the UK's scheduled EU exit on March 29.
Varadkar's comments came as Tanaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) Simon Coveney, who also serves as Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs, published emergency legislation for the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Government Publishes Brexit Omnibus Bill to prepare Ireland for no deal withdrawal by the UK. https://t.co/TF5NQWRuMe Download the Bill here: https://t.co/dYrlnx8sob @dfatirl @simoncoveney @BrexitReadyIRL pic.twitter.com/Sc8tK5dGQb
— MerrionStreet.ie (@merrionstreet) February 22, 2019
Coveney branded a situation in which the UK leaves the UK with no deal as "lose-lose-lose" and said he hopes that the omnibus Bill will "stay on the shelf" and not be used.
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