Friday 1 July 2022 12:42 PM Leo Varadkar warns Boris Johnson he could DESTROY the UK with Northern ... trends now

Friday 1 July 2022 12:42 PM Leo Varadkar warns Boris Johnson he could DESTROY the UK with Northern ... trends now
Friday 1 July 2022 12:42 PM Leo Varadkar warns Boris Johnson he could DESTROY the UK with Northern ... trends now

Friday 1 July 2022 12:42 PM Leo Varadkar warns Boris Johnson he could DESTROY the UK with Northern ... trends now

Boris Johnson is risking the break-up of the United Kingdom with his push to override the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, according to Ireland's deputy prime minister Leo Varadkar.

The Tánaiste hit out at the Prime Minister for not being 'even-handed' in his approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol - as he accused Mr Johnson of siding with Unionists in the dispute.

Mr Varadkar, who is set to take over as Irish PM - or Taoiseach - later this year, claimed Westminster was making a 'strategic mistake' by attempting to create new laws to unilaterally change the Protocol.

He warned that 'more people will turn away from the Union' if the UK ploughs ahead with its planned legislation. 

Mr Varadkar also lashed out at Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis over their recent statements and claimed that Irish-Anglo relations had never been 'as bad' as they currently are.

The deepening war-of-words between Dublin and the EU on one side, and London on the other, comes after MPs this week allowed Mr Johnson's plan - which aims to unpick key parts of the Protocol - to clear its first hurdle in the House of Commons.

Although MPs approved a second reading of the Government's Bill, many senior Tories warned they could oppose it at a later stage amid claims it is a breach of international law. 

The proposed legislation includes the creation of a check-free 'green channel' for goods from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland.

It would also ensure that VAT changes from Westminster apply to Northern Ireland, permit state subsidies, and give UK ministers wide-ranging powers to cancel more of the Brexit divorce terms later if required.

But the EU has renewed legal action against the UK for threatening unilateral reform of the Protocol, while Brussels has also raised the prospect of a bitter trade war should Mr Johnson see through his plan.

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