Irish government ‘likely to collapse before Brexit talks’

Ireland’s minority government was on the verge of collapse today after the opposition Fianna Fail party submitted a no-confidence motion in the deputy prime minister, just weeks before a key UK-EU Brexit summit.

The motion against Prime Minister Leo Varadkar’s deputy, Frances Fitzgerald, concerns her handling of a legal case involving a police whistle-blower.

Varadkar has rejected Fianna Fail’s demand that he sack Fitzgerald. He is meeting Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin later today to see if a compromise can be agreed, The Irish Times reports. If no deal is reached, says Irish broadcaster RTE, the motion will be debated on Tuesday.

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“The crisis is likely to lead to an election next month or in January, and may complicate the 14-15 December Brexit summit,” Reuters says. Varadkar faces going into the Brexit talks “as a lame duck”, or “in the middle of an election campaign”, the website adds.

One of the three main sticking points in the Brexit negotiations involves what the future border will look like between Ireland’s north and south when the UK leaves the EU in March 2019. UK-EU trade talks are unlikely to move forward without a resolution on the border. The other key issues are the UK divorce bill to settle Britain’s financial obligations with the EU, and the rights of EU citizens in the UK.