Charlie Flanagan plays down threat to status of Irish in Britain

Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan has played down suggestions by British Prime Minister Theresa May that the future status of Irish residents of the UK could be altered in the post-Brexit period.

He said the British authorities had indicated to the Government that they would make “every effort” to maintain the common travel arrangements between Ireland and the UK.

Ms May made the suggestion at Westminster earlier this week. However, senior Government sources in Dublin say that they have received no indication from the British that such a move was planned.

Speaking to journalists Wednesday in Iveagh House in Dublin, Mr Flanagan said that he wished “to assure the hundreds of thousands of Irish people who are resident in the UK, many for generations, that we are most certainly prioritising the unique relationships between the people on the island of great Britain and the island of Ireland”.

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Mr Flanagan emphasised that his discussions with the British government had suggested they had a similar view to the Irish Government on the need to maintain the open border between the two countries.

“Indications that I have received from discussions with members of the Brexit team are to the effect that there is a clear understanding of that relationship and every effort will be made to maintain the common travel arrangements.”

He said it was “absolutely essential . . . that the common travel area which has long since been established before either the UK or Ireland were members of the EU is firmly maintained and protected.

“It’s vitally important that in the negotiations and in the relationship between the UK and the EU that our unique circumstance in Ireland is acknowledged, appreciated and maintained,” Mr Flanagan added.

“I have been at pains to stress that, as has the Taoiseach.”

However, he conceded that “these issues will be decided in the negotiations between the UK on one hand and the EU 27 on the other, Ireland firmly being a member of the EU 27.”

Speaking at the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee Tuesday, Ms May appeared to link the issue of the rights of Irish citizens in the UK to securing a reciprocal arrangement for UK citizens living in the EU after Brexit.

Ms May restated her hope that there would be “no return to the borders of the past” but declined to rule out introducing passport checks for people travelling between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

Meanwhile, Mr Flanagan said that Irish people travelling to Germany, or other European countries, should “exercise a high degree of caution” in the wake of the terrorist attacks on a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday. “Many European countries,” he said, “are at a state of high alert.”

He said they should “exercise caution and follow closely the advice and guidance of police authorities and local civic authorities”. He would also advise them to “be on the lookout in the context of what is a very troubled time in Europe.”

“Ireland is not immune from any terrorist threat,” he said, “We don’t however have any specific evidence that we are in any way a target for terrorist activity.”

People should be on alert, particularly at outdoor events and “report an suspicious behaviour to the gardai”, he added.