DAVID Davis has said he doesn’t need to “be very clever” or “know that much” in order to be Brexit Secretary.
It comes as he backtracked on his description of the Brexit deal on the Irish border being “a statement of intent” and not “legally enforceable”.
In an extraordinary interview yesterday, the Cabinet minister in charge of extricating the UK from the EU said his main function during the negotiations was to “be calm”.
Davis also performed a major U-turn by insisting the deal struck by Theresa May on the Irish border was “more than legally enforceable” – just 24 hours after suggesting it was not. His latest gaffe comes less than a week after he was accused of “blatant lying” and contempt of Parliament over Brexit impact papers.
The Tory frontbencher has come in for criticism over his handling of the Brexit negotiations, but commenting on his role during the process, he told LBC radio: “What’s the requirement of my job? I don’t have to be very clever or know that much. I just have to be calm.”
On Sunday the Brexit Secretary prompted a furious reaction from the Irish government when he claimed the deal struck on the Irish border last week was a “statement of intent” rather than one which was “legally enforceable”. In response Irish government figures called his intervention “bizarre” and insisted it was a “binding agreement”.
Davis said the media had twisted his words and the UK intended to prevent a hard border after leaving the EU whatever the outcome of Brexit talks.
“What I actually said yesterday in terms was we want to protect the peace process, want to protect Ireland from the impact of Brexit for them, and I said this was a statement of intent which was much more than just legally enforceable,” he said.
“Of course it’s legally enforceable under the withdrawal agreement but even if that didn’t happen for some reason, if something went wrong, we would still be seeking to provide a frictionless invisible border with Ireland.”
Asked why he said the soft Irish border deal was a statement of intent, Davis replied: “Because it’s more than legally enforceable. In the event the withdrawal agreement doesn’t happen then we would still be seeking to maintain an invisible border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, that was the point.”
In a brief comment to the media at an event in Dublin yesterday, the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he was happy with the clarification.
The remaining EU27 countries will decide at a Brussels summit later this week whether trade talks with the UK can begin and the dispute risked setting these back. But despite Davis’s clarification, there may still be some unease among the EU as the Brexit Secretary also said in the interview over the weekend that the UK would not pay its £39 billion exit bill unless it gets a trade deal
European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas yesterday said the joint report published last week was “not legally binding” but “a deal between gentlemen” which was “fully backed and endorsed” by the UK Government. He noted that May and Juncker had shaken hands on it.
“Formally speaking, the joint report is not legally binding because it is not yet the Article 50 Withdrawal Agreement,” he said. “But we see the joint report ... as a deal between gentlemen and it is the clear understanding that it is fully backed and endorsed by the UK Government.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel