LAST UPDATE | 19 Sep 2023

TÁNAISTE MICHEÁL MARTIN has responded to Keir Starmer’s pledge to reopen the UK’s Brexit deal by saying that although it would be a move welcomed by Ireland, doing so would be “easier said than done”.

Speaking to reporters today in New York, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said: “It’s a very interesting statement and policy position that’s been articulated by the British Labour Party.”

In an interview with the Financial Times, Keir Starmer said that he would be seeking a rewritten Brexit deal if Labour win the next UK election.

The frontrunner to become the next UK prime minister said he “owes it to his children” to rebuild relations with the EU.

“Ireland’s position is that we welcome the closest ties possible between the European Union and the United Kingdom. Because the United Kingdom is a very, very important market in the first instance, economically for Ireland,” the Tánaiste said in response to The Journal’s question.

Martin said the Irish government would support moves to make the existing trade agreement between the UK and the EU more simple.

“We would be very pleased about that but it’s easier said than done,” he said.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told The Journal that he too welcomed the comments made by Starmer, adding that Ireland would “very much so like to see a close relationship between the UK and the EU”.

“But there’s one thing that there can’t be in there can never be is cherry picking,” Varadkar said.

“No matter who’s the prime minister in Britain – whether labour or conservative – you can’t just opt into the parts of the European Union that you like, there would have to be give and take and I think they’ll have to think that through before they come to the European Union…”

Asked by The Journal if Varadkar would find it frustrating for agreements to be scrapped, he said if a change saw a similar agreement to the 2018 Backstop agreement struck between Northern Ireland, the Republic and the UK, he believes, it would be a good thing for all stakeholders.

Britain’s Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) with the EU, negotiated by former prime minister Boris Johnson, is due for review in 2025 – it is a this point that Starmer said he would renegotiate the arrangement if he became UK prime minister.

Martin said such a scenario would be “only good news for Europe, good news for the United Kingdom and good news for Ireland.”

 Other Irish ministers have welcomed the suggestion of a closer trading relationship between the UK and EU but warned that speculation on reopening trade deals is not helpful.

Cautiously welcomed

Ireland’s Minister for Finance Michael McGrath was asked by The Journal today to respond to Starmer’s comments about rewriting the Brexit negotiations.

He said that for now such a renegotiation is “in the realm of speculation” but welcomed the suggestion of a closer trading relationship in the future.

However he said for now, Ireland is focused on ensuring the existing agreement is fully implemented. 

“The progress that we have made has been hard fought. And for now, I think the priority has to be to bed in the changes that have been agreed,” McGrath said. 

“So I think we will be forgiven for saying that our focus for now is on ensuring that the agreement that we have is fully implemented, and that it operates smoothly and efficiently.

“We welcome of course, anything that can result in a better relationship, a closer relationship between the United Kingdom and European Union but that’s beyond another election and beyond the implementation of the current agreement,” McGrath said.

Meanwhile, Irish Minister for European Affairs Peter Burke told the Business Post that a material renegotiation of the post-Brexit trading deal will not be on the table if Starmer gets into power.

His comments come after Neale Richmond, the Fine Gael Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise cautiously welcomed Starmer’s comments yesterday.

However, Richmond also warned that “tortuous negotiations” and “difficult relations” meant that speculation on reopening trade deals was not helpful.

Elsewhere today, Starmer was in Paris, meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

He described his meeting with Macron today as “constructive and positive” amid expert warnings his vision for a closer partnership with the EU would likely face challenges if he wins power.

“We had a very constructive and positive meeting, which as you can imagine covered a wide range of issues,” he said. 

Starmer has reiterated his decision to rule out rejoining the customs union, the single market or the EU itself, and as a result it is unclear what the EU’s response would be to a renegotiation of the trade deal.

Starmer’s meeting with Macron comes as the UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE) research group publishes a new report that finds using the existing TCA to reduce trade barriers will be “very challenging”.

UKICE says the onus will be on Britain to give the EU an incentive to shift its position, given the bloc is “relatively happy” with the existing partnership.

With reporting from PA, Christina Finn and Muiris O’Cearbhaill