TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has said he is concerned about some of the language emanating from the Tory conference over the past few days in relation to human rights.
Speaking at a special summit of European leaders in Spain during which he will hold a bilateral meeting with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Varadkar said that some of the speeches he heard were “not the Britain I know”.
In a number of contributions during the three-day Conservative conference in Manchester, several speakers criticised the UK’s involvement in rights-based treaties and laws.
British Home Secretary Suella Braverman hit out at a key British human rights law, claiming she was surprised it was not called the “Criminal Rights Act”.
She suggested the Human Rights Act, introduced under the last Labour government, was among a series of laws and regulations which had “enmeshed” the UK government’s efforts to tackle the small boats crisis in the English Channel.
Kemi Badenoch, the UK’s Business Secretary, was also warmly received after claiming that ministers should keep the option of leaving the European Convention on Human Rights “on the table”.
Asked today if he was concerned by some of this language, Varadkar said that he was:
I am to be honest, the Britain, the United Kingdom that I love and admire is the country of the Magna Carta, the country that founded parliamentary democracy, and the country that helped to write the European Convention on Human Rights.
An Taoiseach added that he felt the UK was retreating from international co-operation.
“It does bother me to see the United Kingdom disengaging from the world, whether it’s reducing its budget for international aid, whether it’s leaving the European Union, and now even talking about withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights, that’s not the Britain I know,” he said.
The Granada meeting is being attended by 47 EU and non-EU leaders and Varadkar will therefore hold only his second face-to-face meeting with Sunak since becoming Taoiseach again last December.
“I’ll be interested to hear from him how he feels the discussions between the UK Government to the DUP are going with respect to restoring institutions in Northern Ireland, it’s really important for both of us. And of course, we want to discuss the Legacy Act and reaffirming our position on that,” Varadkar said.
It was all-but-confirmed yesterday that Ireland and the UK are set to co-host the Euro 2028 football tournament after the only opposing bidder pulled out. A formal confirmation from UEFA is set to made next week.
Dublin’s Aviva Stadium is the only venue in the Republic of Ireland that is set to host games but GAA stadium Casement Park in Belfast is also earmarked to host matches once it is redeveloped.
Varadkar said today that the Irish government plans to contribute to this redevelopment and that he hopes to discuss this with Sunak also.
“I suppose in a more positive space, we’re going to talk about UEFA 2028. Really delighted that the UK and Ireland will be hosting that tournament, I want to talk to him about our willingness to make a funding contribution to Casement Park in Belfast, one of the two stadiums in Ireland that will be used.”
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