TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has “no regrets” over getting in a Twitter spat with a user online, which some UK media outlets have dubbed as a “undiplomatic dig at Britain”.
Over the weekend, Varadkar replied to a tweet which criticised a tweet Varadkar had sent about calling for support for Ireland taking a seat on the UN Security Council.
The Twitter user hit back at the Taoiseach stating that Ireland had borrowed “millions off the UK, just to survive”. He added that Varadkar’s talk of influence was “another bad Irish joke”.
Responding, Varadkar said that Ireland has repaid IMF loans early and with interest.
“Happy to do same for UK and help them out financially in the future if they need it for some reason…,” he tweeted.
The tweet caused quite the stir in the UK, with the back and forth online getting picked up by British media outlets, including The Express newspaper and Bloomberg.
The headline in The Express read:
When asked did the Taoiseach send that tweet, his spokesperson said Varadkar “originates all of his own tweets” adding that the Taoiseach has “no regrets in sending that tweet”.
The government spokesperson said the tweet was “light-hearted” and “was an attempt at humour”.
The spokesperson said the Taoiseach does not do a lot of British media because his comments are often “taken up completely in the wrong way”.
“It’s just not worth it,” he added.
He added that Ireland has “got itself out of trouble at the end of the day” stating that was all the Taoiseach was pointing out, stating that no one was making any assumption about what economic or financial support the UK might need post Brexit.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say