William Hague reveals 'serious problem' for Ireland which could secure Boris' EU exit
FORMER Tory leader William Hague reveals how the threat of a no deal Brexit could cause Irish Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar to agree to Boris Johnson's latest proposal.
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Mr Hague, who led the Tories from 1997 to 2001, wrote in The Daily Telegraph that Mr Johnson along with two other “decision-makers” will determine the outcome of a Brexit deal. The decision-makers mentioned alongside Mr Johnson included leader of the DUP, Arlene Foster and the Irish Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar.
Mr Hague said: “One, of course, is Boris Johnson himself.
“The second is Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP, whose support is needed to pass a deal through the current Parliament.
“The third is the Irish Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar.”
However, Mr Hague also indicated that the imposition of "customs checks" in Ireland may force the Irish Prime Minister to agree to consent to a new Brexit deal.
Mr Hague added: "No deal brings for Dublin the very outcome they have striven to avoid all along – the imposition of customs checks on the island of Ireland.
"It would be in their interests, if the "consent" issue were resolved in their favour, to summon the political will to work with London on how to make a customs arrangement work."
Away from his vision of Ireland's strategy, Mr Hague warned that the three parties could still take former Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal and add a time limit on the Irish backstop.
He admitted that if this was implemented then it would involve “a major climbdown” by all three players.
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Mr Hague said: “In negotiations bogged down and blocked by complexity, it is sometimes a simple solution that leads to the breakthrough.
“There is just one of those available – to take Theresa May’s deal but add a time limit on the Irish backstop.
“That would involve a major climbdown by all three players, but could be implemented with a single sentence.
“Had such a provision been made before, the deal would have passed the Commons in March.
“Ireland would lose less by this concession than it thinks, as it will never hold a sovereign country to an agreement indefinitely against its will.”
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Mr Hague added that if all three leaders do not try such an idea, then they may regret it.
He continued: “It will be worth trying such an idea or an equivalent one at the last minute."
Last month, Mr Hague delivered a scathing warning to Mr Johnson which urged him to respect the “rule of law”.
He said if they did not respect the law, then the Tories would face retaliation from opposition parties and ousted Tories.
Mr Hague warned the Prime Minister about “damaging” the rule of law through the Brexit process after the Supreme Court last month ruled against Mr Johnson’s decision to prorogue Parliament.
Mr Hague's Brexit warning comes as a Scottish judge dismissed a move to force the Prime Minister into complying with a law aimed at avoiding a no deal Brexit.
Campaigners had argued that comments made by the Government had indicated that Mr Johnson could not be trusted.
Despite those claims, Lord Pentland insisted that there was no threat that Mr Johnson would not abide by law.
Therefore, no "coercive orders" would need to be put in place against the UK Government or Mr Johnson.