‘Simply untrue!’ Tory Brexiteer suffers car crash interview as he claims he can get an Irish passport for being English Producers were asked to delay the news after the MP claimed he was eligible to receive an Irish passport because he is English

A Tory Brexiteer suffered a car crash interview on BBC 5Live, leaving the host incredulous after he claimed he was eligible for an Irish passport.

Andrew Bridgen, a hardline Eurosceptic, was interviewed by the BBC’s Stephen Nolan on Sunday night and faced a series of tough questions from the Northern Irish presenter over Brexit.

Nolan asked producers to delay the news after the MP for North West Leicestershire claimed he was eligible to receive an Irish passport because he is English.

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He asked the MP: “Are you committed to ensuring Northern Ireland is not treated differently to the rest of the UK?”

Bridgen replied: “I am, yes.”

Nolan continued: “But the Conservative Government already accepts that Northern Ireland is different, because after Brexit, no matter what happens to people in Northern Ireland, unlike the rest of the UK, will still have the right to be EU citizens, that’s your position, you put that in your position paper on Ireland.”

Passport rights

“Well that’s the common travel area as well isn’t it, we do have the right to go over to Ireland, don’t we?” Bridgen replied.

“As an English person I have the right to go to Ireland, I believe I can ask for a passport can’t I?”

Nolan replied: “Hold on, it is nothing to do with your right as an English person to come over to Ireland, nothing to do with it.”

‘I’m sure I can ask for an Irish passport’

Bridgen went on: “I’m sure that there is a reciprocal agreement where I can go over to Ireland and ask for an Irish passport and someone from Ireland can come to the UK and ask for a British passport, that is the system we have, isn’t it?”

Nolan replied: “Sorry, hold on. You think there is a reciprocal agreement were you, an English person, can come over and get an Irish passport?”

“I can apply for Irish citizenship yes,” the MP replied. The radio host pointed out this is not a right afforded to any British citizen.

The Common Travel Area was former in the 1920s, long before the European Union, and allows British and Irish citizens the right to move, work, access welfare and vote in elections in both states.

Those born in Northern Ireland after 2005 can be given an Irish passport. This does not extend to other countries in the United Kingdom.

‘Simply untrue’

The pair clashed earlier in the interview over Bridgen’s plans for reducing the need for a border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which is threatening to derail Brexit talks.

Bridgen had said checks are already conducted by importers and exporters, meaning there will be little need for border infrastructure, an objective shared by the UK, Ireland and Brussels.

“Whenever you’re exporting to any other third country, you have to abide by their rules, therefore your goods have to comply with their rule. That’s the same importing to the UK or exporting from the UK, that’s the American market or the European market or the Chinese market or anywhere else,” he said.

“Do you know how many people were killed in the troubles in Northern Ireland, Andrew? Do you know?” Nolan asked. “No I don’t,” the MP conceded.

The presenter replied: “What impact do you think it would be? You’re a member of parliament, you’re now telling nationalists in Northern Ireland to recognise what they see as the Irish Republic as a third country.

“How do you think your language will go down, with those people in Northern Ireland?”

Irish border

The MP admitted he may have used the wrong language but went on to to say that he wanted “pre-clearance” on goods travelling between the two countries, and that all goods are checked by the customer in any case.

“All goods are checked by the customer, if they don’t meet the standards they come back,” he told the host.

“It’s just not true,” the host said.

“I don’t know which business you live in,” the MP replied.

“I’m sorry I live in the business of living in Northern Ireland and what you are saying is just untrue, so all goods are not checked, every good is not checked, when it goes down into the Republic, it’s just not true,” Nolan said.