According to Leo Varadkar, relations with the British government’s ministers are worse than ever.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland said Britain believed that it was “not even handed over” when it came to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Parliamentarians voted earlier this week to give the Northern Ireland Protocol a second vote. The law is designed to invalidate some of the post-Brexit transactions to alleviate concerns about its impact on the United Kingdom.
After the Democratic Unionist Party said it would not appoint a minister to allow the formation of a new Staumont administrator until Britain took action on concerns about the Protocol.
However, the UK move is illegal and is branded as a clear violation of international law.
Mr Balladkar said the UK bid to unilaterally change the protocol was a “strategic error.”
He told The View program in BBC Northern Ireland that the EU would “not be threatened” by the UK’s approach to ongoing standoffs.
“In the past, the British government had promised that even an approach to Northern Ireland would be handed over,” he said.
“I don’t think this is the case with this government. They support one of the three chunks of opinion that currently exist in Northern Ireland.
“And I think it’s a strategic mistake for those who want to keep the union. Obviously, keeping pushing what the majority don’t want means more people leaving the union.
“This is a unique policy from the government that claims to defend the union,” he said.
Mr. Balladkar also said that in his political life he “has never seen a bad relationship” with the British minister.
“We have a British government that doesn’t want to work with the Irish government. It hasn’t been handed over. It’s a government that wants to stay in line with the EU even if it leaves,” he said.
“I think we need to regain trust. The best way to do that is to escalate it.
“Even if you have a hard time trusting someone, you have to try to reach an agreement. If we can’t with this government, it’s the future government.”
Mr. Balladkar also referred to a letter against the bill signed by members of the Sinn Féin Party, the Social Democratic Labor Party, and the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, arguing that the people of Northern Ireland did not listen.
“What really bothers me most is that the people of Northern Ireland aren’t listening to Westminster’s sovereign government,” he said.
“The letter was written and signed by 52 out of 90 MLAs. It’s as if the British minister hadn’t read it or didn’t care, and they didn’t want or accept the protocol to be revoked. It was very clearly stated that this argument that the protocol undermined the Good Friday Agreement.
“In 52 of the 90’s MLAs, the British government treated the views of the majority of elected representatives of Northern Ireland as irrelevant, which is a fundamental issue.”