Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said that “time will tell” when it comes to how Liz Truss will perform as the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
He also said that who she picks for Northern Ireland Secretary will be “absolutely crucial”.
Bertie Ahern admitted that Liz Truss is “not someone” he knows personally, but that he wishes her well in the post because of how influential it is on Irish politics, “economically and from the North’s point of view”.
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When asked if he would describe Truss as “pragmatic, realistic, experienced, expedient”, the former politician replied: “Time will tell. She certainly has done a good job in getting herself to the top in the 12-year period and she’s held some of the top posts.”
Ahern described the new PM as being someone who “takes a hard line on a lot of things” and that she “seems to change her mind on a lot of things”. He said: “She changed her political party. She changed her view on Brexit. She was a nuclear disarmament person, that was her one lobby interest."
Despite this, he said she will certainly have a lot on her plate between the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, the food and inflation crisis, the NHS, ‘levelling-up’ Britain and Brexit.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast on Tuesday morning, Ahern said the two things he’ll be watching for are who is appointed Foreign Secretary and who is appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
The former Taoiseach described the latter as “absolutely crucial”, given the issues at hand.
“Realistically, the Foreign Secretary will probably be caught up in Ukraine nearly permanently, so the Secretary for Northern Ireland becomes the crucial thing. Who she puts into that and maybe who is the number two up there could be very important as well,” he said.
Rumours within the civil service suggest that Truss will meet with Taoiseach Micheal Martin at the next Intergovernmental Conference, according to Ahern, which will “probably set out the agenda”.
He continued: “My own view is it is almost inevitable there will be one more try to see if the protocol can be dealt with by diplomatic and negotiating purposes.
“There has been little or no negotiation since October last year - almost 12 months. There was a little bit of a run around the table in February, but it was fairly useless and meaningless. So, I think that is going to be the crucial issue.”
Ahern said that there is “a lot at stake for us” when it comes to Brexit and the Protocol, and that a negotiated settlement is the way forward to get Northern Ireland institutions back up and running.
He finished off his interview by saying that he feels that the internal UK market, which is a “crucial issue for Jeffery Donaldson”, is solvable through negotiations.
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