Michel Barnier, the EU Commission’s chief Brexit negotiator, begins a two-day visit to Northern Ireland today. He started by taking part in the Irish government’s all-island forum, hosted by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and his deputy Simon Coveney. The forum, attended by representatives of all the political parties, is examining the implications of Brexit.

Brexiteers and their mouthpieces in our media would do well to take note of what is said at this forum. There is a thorough misunderstanding of the Irish government’s position in the Brexit talks, as well as complacency about the UK government’s mishandling of the Irish border issue, which threatens to bring the entire Brexit talks crashing down.

Westminster is convulsed by the resignation of Amber Rudd and the aftermath today, but this is far more important.

In December 2017, the European Union’s Council gave the EU Commission its blessing to start the second phase of the Brexit negotiations on the basis that there had been sufficient progress on the main issues of the first phase, including the Irish border issue. There is a consensus in the UK House of Commons that the 1998 Good Friday Agreement settlement, which brought peace to the island of Ireland after decades of bloodshed, should be protected if Brexit occurs. A key part of that settlement was that there should be no hard border and the Irish government is adamant this should be the case – for them, this is non-negotiable.

The Labour party’s position of continuing to participate in a customs union with the EU is not considered by Dublin to sufficiently resolve the border problem because, like the Tory government, the party doesn’t officially support a policy of staying in the single market through the European Economic Area (EEA). This is a policy which many on our backbenches – me included – have been advocating. Consequently one senior figure in the Irish government told me: “Brexit will be as bad under the Labour Party as under the Tories.” If that doesn’t underline the need for Labour to separate from the Tories in terms of their Brexit position, I don’t know what does.

Michel Barnier says a solution must be found to avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland

The government has suggested the use of new technology could resolve the issue. Last month, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee – a select committee led by a Tory Leave supporter and which includes three DUP MPs – gave this short shrift, saying that they were “unable to identify any border solution currently in operation across the globe that would enable physical infrastructure to be avoided when rules and tariffs diverge.”

The optimum position would be for the UK not to leave the EU – that is, of course, the ultimate way to avoid this issue. However, if Brexit does happen, there is clearly no solution to the Irish border issue other than for the UK to continue to participate in the customs union and single market.

Theresa May thinks she can park the issue for the moment and there will be a deal to be done. Ministers think some resolution can be found when the withdrawal agreement between the EU and UK is finalised at the EU Council in October. But the EU has in practice given the Irish government a veto on the Irish border issue – if the Irish government is not happy with what is agreed in relation to the border, the EU will not sign off any Brexit deal.

The UK government thinks that if all other matters pertaining to Brexit have been resolved save for the border issue then the Irish government will cave in to pressure from other member states and agree to drop this demand. This will not happen – and I can explain why.

There is a distinct lack of appreciation and understanding of the Irish standpoint both in the British government and our media.

If there is a hard border, there are very real fears that there will be a return of violence. When, before the Good Friday Agreement, there was more of a border on the island of Ireland, this helped fuel the Troubles. There was extensive illegal smuggling among other things, which it is believed would return if a hard border were re-established. No decision maker on either side is prepared to risk a return to the bad old days after all the progress that has been made. It is notable that the Good Friday Agreement got 94 per cent approval in the referendum ratifying it in the Republic in 1998.

Brexiteers say that the UK is too important to Ireland as a customer of their goods, and so the Irish will relent. But let’s look into the truth behind that statement. In the 1970s, when Ireland joined what became the EU, around 50 per cent of their exports went to the UK. Now just 13 per cent of Ireland’s exports go to the UK, while over 25 per cent goes to the US and over 35 per cent goes to other EU countries. We are a significant trading partner, of course, but not so vital as we once were to them.

Some have suggested that the Irish government is being pushed around and told what to do by EU institutions determined to drive a hard bargain with the UK. This is not how it is seen from the other side of the table.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 September 2020 A model presents a creation during the Bora Aksu catwalk show at London Fashion Week 2020 Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2020 World kickboxing champion Carl Thomas during his attempt to run a marathon while pulling a plane at Elvington Airfield near York. The attempt is raising funds for Ollie's Army Battling Against Battens, an organisation campaigning to raise GBP 250,000 to fund a clinical trial aimed at saving the sight of children with CNL2 Batten Disease PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2020 Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner speaking during Prime Minister's Questions UK Parliament/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 September 2020 People enjoying the autumn sunshine as they punt along the River Cam in Cambridge PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2020 Early morning light bathes the skyscrapers of the City of London, at the start of a week in which the UK is expected to bask in temperatures of more than 30 degrees PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2020 England celebrate after they dismissed Australia's Alex Carey to win the second ODI match of the series at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2020 Protesters outside BBC Broadcasting House in central London, as marches and rallies form across the country calling for a 15% pay rise for NHS workers and an increase in NHS funding PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2020 An empty migrant dinghy floats off the beach at St Margaret's Bay after the occupants landed from France in Dover Getty UK news in pictures 10 September 2020 A view of small boats thought to be used in migrant crossings across the Channel at a storage facility in Dover, Kent PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2020 EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier, left, arriving from the Eurostar with EU Ambassador to the UK, Portuguese diplomat Joao Vale de Almeida at St Pancras International railway station, London, for the latest round of the negotiations on a free trade deal between the EU and the UK PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2020 Dawn over Coquet Island, a small island off Amble on the Northumberland coast PA UK news in pictures 7 September 2020 A hovercraft arrives to Southsea, Hampshire from the Isle of Wight PA UK news in pictures 6 September 2020 Forensics officers near the scene of multiple reported stabbings in Birmingham Reuters UK news in pictures 5 September 2020 Anti-migrant protesters demonstrate in Dover against immigration and the journeys made by refugees crossing the Channel to Kent PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2020 Activists take part in a demonstration against the HS2 hi-speed rail line outside the Department of Transport AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 3 September 2020 Peter Baker, who plays Trigger in the musical version of Only Fools and Horses, sweeps the stage of the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London, after observing a 15 minute silence to show solidarity with those in the theatre industry that have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2020 Kadie Lane, right, 11, and Brooke Howourth, 11, hug on their walk to Marden Bridge Middle School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, for their first day of term, as schools in England reopen to pupils following the coronavirus lockdown PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2020 Extinction Rebellion protesters sitting outside The Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London PA UK news in pictures 31 August Surfers at Long Sands Beach, Tynemouth PA UK news in pictures 30 August Black Lives Matter protesters march through Notting Hill in London in the first Million People March EPA UK news in pictures 29 August A protester reacts as she demonstrates against the lockdown and use of face masks, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak, outside Downing Street in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 August Caribbean soca dancers display their costumes as they promote the first ever digital Notting Hill Carnival, following the cancellation of the normal Carnival festivities due to the continued spread of the coronavirus disease, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 August Father and son team Chris and Sam Milford from historic building conservation specialists WallWalkers begin restoration work on the spire of Norwich Cathedral, which stands at over 312ft high. The first known spire was completed in 1297 PA UK news in pictures 26 August Giant waves at Seaham in County Durham, as the bad weather continues PA UK news in pictures 25 August An assistant at the Wallace Monument cleans the case which houses the William Wallace sword in the Hall of Arms room at the monument near Stirling as they prepare to re-open PA UK news in pictures 24 August Restored World War Two landing craft LCT 7074 is transported from from the Naval Base in Portsmouth to its final resting place at the D-Day Story at Southsea PA UK news in pictures 23 August Jenny Nguyen and Tony Cao, from Vietnam, pose for wedding photos on Tower Bridge in London, as it remains closed to vehicles after it was stuck open on Saturday due to a "mechanical fault". The landmark's Twitter account confirmed only pedestrians and cyclists could use it on Sunday morning PA UK news in pictures 22 August England's Zak Crawley hit 267, joining the exclusive Double Hundred club, on day two of the Third Test match against Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton PA UK news in pictures 21 August Harri Teale gathers lavender during the annual harvest on the Wolds Way Lavender farm near Malton in North Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 20 August Parents and a student react after checking GCSE results at Ark Academy in London Reuters UK news in pictures 19 August Tate Modern workers hold a strike outside the gallery in London, to protest the institution's announcement that it would cut more than 300 jobs from its commercial arm, Tate Enterprises PA UK news in pictures 18 August Two rescued brown bear cubs, Mish (left) and Lucy, cool off in a pool after arriving at their new home with the wildlife conservation charity Wildwood Trust in Herne Bay, Kent. The orphaned pair, who have been living in a temporary home in Belgium since they were found abandoned and alone in a snowdrift in the Albanian mountains, will be acclimatised to their new life in the country before moving to a permanent home PA UK news in pictures 17 August A level students celebrate outside the Department for Education in London after it was confirmed that candidates in England will be given grades estimated by their teachers, rather than by an algorithm. The government U-turn comes just days after Education Secretary Gavin Williamson vowed there would be "no U-turn, no change. PA UK news in pictures 16 August Wasp players take a knee as Northampton Saints stand prior to kick-off in their Premiership match at Franklin's Gardens PA UK news in pictures 15 August Piper Colour Sergeant Lil Bahadur Gurung attends the VJ Day National Remembrance event, held at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 14 August People including students hold placards on Whitehall outside Downing Street as they protest against the downgrading of A-level results. The government faced criticism after education officials downgraded more than a third of pupils' final grades in a system devised after the coronavirus pandemic led to cancelled exams yes AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 13 August Benita Stipp (centre) and Mimi Ferguson (left) react as students at Norwich School receive their A-Level results PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2020 A train derailment near Stonehaven has left three people dead. Driver Brett McCullough, conductor Donald Dinnie, and a passenger were killed when the 6.38am Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street service crashed amid heavy rain and flooding BBC UK news in pictures 11 August 2020 A woman hydrates in the sun after open water swimming at the West Reservoir Centre in north London Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 10 August 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson takes part in an archery session as he visits Premier Education Summer Camp at Sacred Heart of Mary Girls' in Upminster Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2020 People cycle through Cambridge as the heatwave continues in Britain EPA UK news in pictures 8 August 2020 Healthcare workers take part in a protest in London over pay conditions in the NHS Getty UK news in pictures 7 August 2020 Emergency services make their way along the seafront on Bournemouth beach in Dorset on one of the hottest days of the year PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2020 Alison Murphy poses for a picture by husband Peter as she walks through a field of sunflowers in Altrincham, Cheshire PA UK news in pictures 5 August 2020 Pakistan's Abid Ali being bowled by England's Jofra Archer during day one of the First Test match at the Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester PA UK news in pictures 4 August 2020 The 'Timbuktu tumblers' from Kenya perform their balancing act on the Southsea waterfront as Zippos Circus reopens in Portsmouth Rex UK news in pictures 3 August 2020 Pelicans interact with a visitor in St James's Park in London PA UK news in pictures 2 August 2020 Lewis Hamilton drives with a puncture towards the finish line to win the Formula One British Grand Prix at Silverstone POOL/AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 1 August 2020 Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates with the trophy and teammates after winning the FA Cup, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease Pool via Reuters UK news in pictures 31 July 2020 People enjoy the sunny weather at a Bournemouth Beach Reuters

According to the EU Commission’s public opinion barometer, the Irish have more of a positive image of the EU than any other country and 80 per cent of people in Ireland are optimistic about the future of the EU. In other words, Ireland rightly considers itself an integral part of the EU. “We act as the EU27 – we are not going to tell ourselves what to do”: that’s the way it has been put to me by the Irish government.

Earlier this month, Brexit Secretary David Davis made the ludicrous claim that Sinn Fein was behind the Irish government’s no-nonsense position on the hard border. His exact words were: “We had a change of government south of the border, and with quite a strong influence from Sinn Féin, and that had an impact in terms of the approach.” It was pointed out to him that there had been no change of government, though there had been a change in Taoiseach, and the ruling Fine Gael party is not seeking a united Ireland. It’s disappointing how fundamentally he misunderstood the motivations of the Irish people.

The irony of all of this is that the prime minister does not currently have a majority in the Commons to take us out of the customs union. If the Labour front bench listens to our membership – which overwhelmingly wants to continue to participate in the single market – and changes tack on the EEA, it is increasingly likely there is no majority to leave the single market either.

Sentiment in the Commons is, for the most part, driven by a concern to protect the Good Friday Agreement. In this sense, parliament is well ahead of the Tory government in dealing with the coming impasse and much more aligned with our friends across the Irish Sea. Theresa May needs to start playing catch up.

We should be proud of Britain’s diverse music scene

Last week, I took part in a round table in parliament on music and youth culture alongside Jasmine Dotiwala.

Jasmine came to public attention as a presenter of the cult Channel 4 youth show The Word, which my sister and I watched religiously every week during our teenage years in the 1990s. The Word was in-your-face, edgy and groundbreaking. It introduced the likes of Oasis to the nation. Jasmine interviewed all kinds of artists for the show – from Snoop Dogg to Mary J Blige – in an unconventional way, and the viewers loved it.

Jasmine and I both wrote for the music monthly Touch magazine in the Noughties. The whole discussion made me think about how old I’m getting: back then I went on a journey of obsession first with ragga, then jungle, with my love of US and UK house and garage driving me to get a couple of decks to start DJing. Nowadays, the urban music scene is dominated by grime, drill and other new music forms.

It also serves as a reminder of just how lucky we are in this country to have such a diverse and rich music scene, which is the envy of the world. To find out more about emerging artists, do visit the website of the PRS (Performing Rights Society) Foundation, the UK’s leading funder of new music and talent (of which I’m an ambassador!).