The Irish PM has played down the need for the UK government to change the new post-Brexit deal between the UK and the EU, although the DUP is calling for it to be ‘amended’.
Speaking to reporters in Washington DC, Leo Varadkar said it was “very important that we listen to the DUP, that we hear their concerns”, adding: “It is the biggest unionist party after all, and that matters. .”
Asked by Sky News if he thinks the UK government should change the framework with Brussels in order to appease the DUP, Mr Varadkar replied: “In all honesty, I don’t think anyone has asked that. I understand that the DUP asked for some clarification from the British government.
“What the UK government has said is that they would engage with the five main parties in Northern Ireland on any changes they were going to make to their national legislation, and I’m sure that will happen. “
But that appears to contradict DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who wants to see ‘change’ in the new deal. Speaking to the National Press Club in Washington today, he said some key areas of the deal “need more clarification, reworking and change”.
“While the Windsor framework addresses our concerns to some extent, there is still work to be done,” he said.
“The Windsor framework fails to address some of the fundamental issues at the heart of our current difficulties.”
The DUP refused to take their place in the devolved government of Northern Ireland at Stormont while the controversial Northern Ireland protocol exists. The party sees this arrangement as a boundary between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
The Windsor setting – a deal between London and Brussels announced with great fanfare on February 27 – was supposed to break the deadlock, but the DUP refused to bow to pressure to accept it.
Sinn Fein placed advertisements in American newspapers calling for a referendum on Irish unity
Mr Varadkar also described Sinn Fein adverts in US newspapers today calling for an Irish unity referendum as unnecessary for the acceptance of the Windsor framework.
“I’m someone who believes in unification but I don’t think it’s helpful right now,” he said.
“It’s a sensitive time. We’re trying to get everyone involved in the Windsor framework, and we mustn’t forget what the Good Friday agreement says.
“He says there can be a poll at the border when it’s clear that the majority of people in the north and the south would vote for him, and it’s not clear at all at the moment.”
Learn more about Sky News:
MPs to vote on new Brexit deal ‘by the end of the month’
Budget 2023: Key points from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s speech
Budget 2023: who are the winners and losers? How Three Real Households Are Affected
The advertisements, placed by American Sinn Fein agents, Friends of Sinn Fein, were strongly criticized by the DUP.
“I find it incredible that in newspapers across the United States this morning there is a full-page Sinn Fein advertisement calling for a referendum on Northern Ireland being part of the United Kingdom,” said Sir Jeffrey.
“Sinn Fein are mobilizing hundreds of thousands of dollars for a divisive election campaign. There is no evidence of growing support for Northern Ireland leaving the UK. Indeed, all major polls go in the opposite direction.
“The future of Northern Ireland lies in unionists and nationalists working together. A border ballot would pit unionists and nationalists against each other and lead to further divisions.”
