Leadership deficit in the UK must not be allowed hurt Ireland – Richmond

Fine Gael Senator and spokesperson on EU Affairs, Neale Richmond, has said the leadership deficit in the UK must not be allowed to hurt Ireland.

“Since the announcement of the disastrous results of the Brexit referendum, British politics has been thrown into turmoil with the resignation of the Prime Minister, a no confidence motion in the Leader of the Opposition, the abdication of responsibility by leading Leave campaigner, Boris Johnson, and now the resignation of UKIP leader and champion of Brexit, Nigel Farage.

“Against this back drop: the value of sterling has reached record lows, the UK’s credit rating has been downgraded, the markets have taken a hit and investor confidence is shaky at best.

“It is a disgrace to see so many of the Leave campaigners happy to light the fire and walk away without helping to clean up the mess, especially when so many of the messages of their campaign have been shown up to be a load of waffle. The supposed Project Fear mocked by the Leave campaigners has quickly become Project Reality.

“A new Prime Minister will not be elected until September but until then the leadership deficit across the UK body politic cannot be allowed to hurt Ireland.

“Ireland today is the fastest growing economy in the EU with ever falling unemployment and renewed investment interest, particularly from financial companies seeking to relocate to Dublin from London. Being a beacon of stability in these tumultuous times will stand to Ireland’s overall recovery after a number of difficult years.”