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Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says Britain's "colonial history" meant it misunderstood Ireland in Brexit talks and mistakenly thought that the UK and the European Union's other bigger countries would tell Dublin "what's what."

Speaking to the the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, Varadkar said a "lot of people" both in Westminster and Britain don't "understand Ireland" and "underestimated the fact that European partners will stay by" Ireland in Brexit talks.

Varadkar said: "You know, Britain has a very powerful history, a very colonial history.

"And I think there were people in Britain who thought that France, Germany and Britain would get together at a big summit and tell the small countries what's what."

"That's not the way the 21st century works, that's certainly not the way the European Union works."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was able to make a breakthrough with Taoiseach Varadkar and the other EU leaders in October after months of deadlock over the question of how to preserve the seamless border on the island of Ireland.

Attention now turns to the future relationship between the UK and the EU, with negotiations on a future trade deal set to get underway in March.

Varadkar said "the reality of the situation" is that the EU will have the upper hand in trade talks.

"I think the reality of the situation is that the European Union is a union of 27 member states. The UK is only one country," the Irish leader said.

"And we have a population and a market of 450 million people. The UK, it's about 60. So if these were two teams up against each other playing football, who do you think has the stronger team? So long as we're united."

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier (left) alongside Leo Varadkar. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Both sides have less than a year to negotiate new trading arrangements, with Prime Minister Johnson saying he will not in any circumstances extend the Brexit transition period beyond December 2020.

Varadker said he didn't agree with Johnson's claim that there would be "bags of time" to strike a deal, warning that any deal will probably need to go through the "messy" process of being ratified by several European parliaments.

He told the BBC: "So, unlike the Withdrawal Agreement which had to be passed by the House of Commons on the European Parliament, this might have to be passed by the 27 parliaments of all the different member states.

"And that's where it gets messy."

"That's where one country can hold things up, or two countries can, and potentially that might be the reason as to why we may need an extension for another year in order to allow parliaments around Europe, maybe where there are elections happening, who knows, to have a bit more time to consider it."

Varadkar predicted that the biggest flashpoint in talks would be around what is dubbed "level playing field."

The EU says it will only give the UK tariff and quote-free access to European markets if Johnson's government agrees in writing to follow a common set of standards covering the environment, production, labour, and other areas. However, Johnson has said the UK will not commit to a level playing field with the EU after Brexit.

Varadkar said "there's a genuine concern across the European Union, that part of the motivation behind Brexit was for the UK to undercut us in terms of environmental standards, labour standards, product standards, food standards, all of those things.

"Now when I meet Prime Minister Johnson he says, no absolutely not that's not the kind United Kingdom that I want to need as prime minister.

"But we want that written down in law, we want that in a treaty so that we know that the UK will not be undercutting the EU with lower standards."

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The UK's 'colonial' view of the world means it will lose to the EU in Brexit trade talks says Leo Varadkar - Business Insider

LONDON With Brexit just days away, Britons are fighting over the chimes of Big Ben. And the White Cliffs of Dover are a battleground.

As the United Kingdom prepares to leave the European Union on Friday, people are divided over how to mark a historic moment that some are relishing but others are dreading.

Britain's 2016 referendum on EU membership split the country: 52% opted to leave the 28-nation bloc, 48% voted to remain. The intervening years of political wrangling over the departure terms have not healed the divide.

For pro-Europeans, departure at 11 p.m. Friday will be the melancholy moment that Britain abandons a project that brought once-warring nations together, created a vast free-trading zone of half a billion people and let Europeans study, work and live across the continent.

For Brexit supporters, it will be the instant the U.K. once again becomes a sovereign nation after 47 years of membership in the bloated, bureaucratic EU club.

"It's a momentous occasion," said Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice, who plans to join party leader Nigel Farage and thousands of supporters for a party outside Parliament on Friday night. "It's a great celebration of the democratic will. And it's right to celebrate it."

Organizers are promising music, songs, speeches, a light show and a New Year's Eve-style countdown in the shadow of Parliament's clock tower. But, to their chagrin, Brexit probably won't be marked by the sound of the giant Big Ben bell, whose hourly bongs are a world-famous symbol of British democracy.

FILE - In this Tuesday, April 17, 2018 file photo, scaffolding surrounds the Queen Elizabeth Tower, which holds the bell known as Big Ben, in London. The bell of Britains Parliament has been largely silent since 2017 while its iconic clock tower undergoes four years of repairs. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, file)AP

Big Ben has been largely silent since 2017 while the clock tower is being repaired, and House of Commons authorities said bringing it back for one night could cost as much as 500,000 pounds ($654,000).

Undaunted, Brexiteers launched a crowdfunding campaign, encouraged by Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said "we're looking at whether the public can fund it." But Johnson's Downing Street office quickly distanced itself from the idea, and Commons authorities made it clear they considered it impractical to have Big Ben bong for Brexit.

Tice chided "the bureaucratic blob" for hobbling the plan. But never fear: "We have a Plan B."

"We will play the sound of Big Ben chiming, that wonderful sound, loudly through our excellent speaker system," he said. "And in 50 years' time ... this will be the image of the U.K. leaving the European Union (on) 31st January 2020.

"It'll be a sense of coming together, of pride, of patriotism, of belief in our country."

Many Britons don't share his excitement.

"Spending half a million pounds to ring a few bells is just silly. People who want to do it are off their trolley, frankly," said Tony Greaves, a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords.

Greaves warned colleagues this week that many people especially the more than 3 million citizens of other EU countries who live in Britain feel a sense of loss "akin to bereavement" about Brexit.

"A lot of people will not be celebrating. They'll be feeling very sad and very glum," he said. "People are saying we want to bring the country together now after the division. This is the last possible way to do it."

A suggestion that church bells should ring, as they did to mark the end of two world wars, also struck a discordant note. The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers stressed that it "does not endorse bell ringing for political reasons."

Debate also is raging in the English Channel port of Dover, where a pro-EU politician, Liberal Democrat Antony Hook, has raised more than 13,000 pounds ($17,000) to plaster a huge "We still love EU" banner on the famous White Cliffs on Brexit day.

Dover's pro-Brexit Conservative lawmaker, Natalie Elphicke, has suggested instead a banner proclaiming, "We love the U.K.," accompanied by a fireworks display that could be seen from France, 32 kilometers (20 miles) away.

The European Union flag, right, and Britain's Union flag hang above the European Parliament Liaison Office in London, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. Britain will leave the European Union on Jan. 31.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)AP

Britain's entry into what was then the European Economic Community at the start of 1973 was marked by similar ambivalence. The country was divided on the issue, and there were quiet demonstrations by activists on both sides, but, at least immediately, no major festivities.

"Britain passed peacefully into Europe at midnight last night without any special celebrations," The Guardian newspaper reported on Jan. 1, 1973. "It was difficult to tell that anything of importance had occurred."

Almost half a century on, Johnson's Conservative government must balance its own enthusiasm for Brexit with the knowledge that half the country opposes the decision to walk away from the EU.

The prime minister is scheduled to make a televised address Friday evening, stressing unity and the healing of divisions. As 11 p.m. approaches, government buildings will be lit up and a countdown clock projected onto the black bricks of the prime minister's 10 Downing St. residence.

Historian Margaret MacMillan urged the government to avoid a tone of triumphalism. She said if ever there were a time for British understatement, this is it.

"It is not a time for celebration. It is a time for reconciliation," said MacMillan, a University of Toronto professor whose books include "Dangerous Games: The Uses and Abuses of History."

"If the prime minister really wanted to be prime ministerial, he could say, 'Look, we've had a long, difficult disagreement, but let's sit down and be friends again,' and just have a tea party or something," she said. "I think low-key is better."

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Jill Lawless of The Associated Press wrote this story. AP video journalist Jo Kearney contributed to this story.

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Follow APs full coverage of Brexit and British politics at https://www.apnews.com/Brexit

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Britain remains divided ahead of this weeks exit from European Union - PennLive

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Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has suggested the EU will be the "stronger team" in post-Brexit trade talks with the UK.

Comparing negotiations to a football match, he suggested to the BBC that the EU would be at an advantage due to its larger population and market.

The taoiseach said he did not think the UK had "yet come to terms with the fact it's now a small country".

Boris Johnson said he would be able to "wrap this all up" by the end of 2020.

Mr Varadkar held talks with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier on Monday.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Barnier told reporters the two sides faced "the risk of a cliff edge" if trade terms were not agreed by the end of the post-Brexit transition period in December.

He cautioned that a "very short time" remained to "rebuild" the UK-EU relationship.

In an interview earlier with BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Varadkar also said striking a deal in this timeframe was possible but would be "difficult".

He pledged the EU would not be "dragging its feet," but added: "My assessment is that it is more likely that we will need an extension in order to finalise a free trade agreement and future economic partnership than not need it."

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Mr Johnson, however, said he had to "respectfully disagree" with his Irish counterpart's doubts, insisting a deal can be reached "in the time we've got".

The UK PM added: "We've got until the end of the year, but we will be doing things very fast, and in a very friendly, respectful way."

Mr Johnson has insisted he is not open to any extension.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that from the UK side, trade talks will be led by a 40-person "task force" headed by the PM's Europe adviser David Frost.

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Mr Varadkar, the leader of the Fine Gael party, is fighting his first election campaign as taoiseach. Ireland heads to the polls on 8 February.

He told the BBC: "The European Union is a union of 27 member states. The UK is only one country. And we have a population and a market of 450 million people.

"The UK, it's about 60[m]. So if these were two teams up against each other playing football, who do you think has the stronger team?"

He also cautioned the UK against trying to negotiate individual deals covering different sectors of the economy.

"The final deal, the new relationship will have to be comprehensive," he said.

"When I hear people talk about piecemeal, it sounds a bit like cake and eat," he said, adding: "That isn't something that will fly in Europe."

"You may have to make concessions in areas like fishing in order to get concessions from us in areas like financial services."

Mr Varadkar said there was "genuine concern" across Europe that the UK would seek to "undercut" EU standards after Brexit.

"When I meet Prime Minister Johnson he says, no, absolutely not - that's not the kind of United Kingdom that I want to lead as prime minister."

But he added: "We want that written down in law, we want that in a treaty."

Mr Varadkar said both sides would have to agree a "common set of minimum standards" for an agreement to be possible.

But this is likely to be a contentious area of talks, with British ministers having insisted the UK should have the right to move away from EU regulations.

Another potential flashpoint is likely to be access to fishing waters, which both sides have pledged to sort out before the end of June.

Leaked slides from an EU presentation last Friday said the bloc would be aiming for the same level of access to British fishing stocks it has now, and would not sign a wider trade deal until fishing access has been agreed.

But the UK government insists it will "take back control" of its waters.

A leaked slide presentation from a meeting last Friday has revealed more of the EU's objectives in the upcoming trade talks.

Diplomats from national governments agreed that commitments by the UK to maintaining a level playing field - i.e. not undercutting other EU nations for competitive advantage - are a "precondition" for a deal. There should also be a role for the European Court of Justice in any deal to protect EU law.

The EU will pursue what it calls a "comprehensive approach" to the negotiations and there will be "trade-offs between chapters" i.e. give-and-take across different areas of the deal.

The EU will expect to be treated as a single bloc, so the UK will not, for example, be able to offer something to Germany that it doesn't offer to everyone else. In case of future disputes with the UK, there would be the possibility for "cross-retaliation" where a disagreement in one sector sees the EU retaliating in another.

EU sources say they want to build a relationship with the UK that is balanced and sustainable, where neither side "feels taken for a ride".

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Varadkar: EU will have stronger team in trade talks with UK - BBC News

LONDON (AP) Irelands prime minister warned Britain on Monday that Brexit is far from finished -- and the European Union will have the stronger hand in upcoming negotiations on future relations between the two sides.

Leo Varadkar said we're only at halftime on Brexit, as the blocs chief Brexit negotiator visited Dublin in a show of solidarity, five days before the U.K. is due to leave the EU .

Britain's exit on Friday, which will be the first time a nation has left the bloc, will be followed by an 11-month transition period in which Britain will continue to follow EU rules while the two sides work out new deals on trade, security and other areas.

The European Union is a union of 27 member states. The U.K. is only one country, Varadkar told the BBC before meeting EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. And we have a population and a market of 450 million people. The U.K., it's about 60 (million). So if these were two teams up against each other playing football, who do you think has the stronger team?

Speaking after the meeting, Varadkar added that the negotiations didnt need to be a contest, and could end in a mutually beneficial deal.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is adamant that he wont agree to extend the Brexit transition beyond the end of 2020, even if a deal has not been struck.

Varadkar, however, said it would be difficult to secure a comprehensive agreement in time and there was a chance a deal might need to be approved by parliaments in all 27 EU countries -- any of which could hold it up.

We need to get down to business very quickly trying to get that trade deal, which is absolutely essential for the Irish economy, as well as, of course, for Britain's as well, said Varadkar, who is battling to retain his job in an election on Feb. 8.

Ireland is the only EU country to share a land border with the U.K., and Britain is one of Irelands top trading partners.

Britain and the EU are committed to striking a wide-ranging free trade agreement but appear to be on a collision course. The U.K. government says it will not agree to follow an EU rule book in return for unfettered trade; the bloc insists there can be no trade deal unless Britain agrees to a level playing field and does not undercut EU regulations.

Negotiations are not due to begin in earnest until March, when EU leaders sign off on a mandate for the talks drawn up by Barnier.

Barnier said that if no agreement was reached by the end of the year it "cannot be business as usual.

"We are to face a risk of a cliff edge, in particular for trade," he said.

The U.K. government says Brexit will allow Britain to forge new trade deals around the world, though most economists doubt these will make up for lost commerce with the EU, which currently accounts for almost half of U.K. trade.

In a speech at Queen's University in Belfast, Barnier said that Brexit would inevitably have negative consequences for both sides.

Whatever agreement we reach on our future relationship, Brexit will always be a matter of damage limitation, he said.

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Follow APs full coverage of Brexit and British politics at https://www.apnews.com/Brexit

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Irish leader says EU will have upper hand in UK trade talks - Yahoo Finance

There will be little official pageantry to mark Britains departure from the European Union at 11pm on Friday. A clock counting down the last hour will be projected on to No 10 Downing Street, and Nigel Farage will host a celebration in Parliament Square where flagpoles will fly union jacks.

But there will be nothing like the torchlight procession that marked the august occasion on 1 January 1973 when the prime minister Edward Heath was joined in Brussels by his predecessors Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Home and a chorus of leaders from across the political divide to witness the accession of the UK into the European Economic Community.

Friday will mark the start of what is likely to be an uphill battle to get a trade deal done by the end of the year, not to mention all the non-trade issues that must also be resolved including security and intelligence cooperation, fisheries, data, education and research collaboration.

Yes. Although everyday life will remain the same and the UK will remain in the single market and the customs union until the end of the year as part of transition arrangements, the withdrawal agreement will be a legally binding international treaty. It carries sanctions for any backsliding or half measures, as Michel Barniers adviser Stefaan de Rynck pointed out last week in London.

We know little of the plans for the negotiations, and parliamentary scrutiny of Brexit has been restricted. The House of Lords EU committee has invited but failed to get Stephen Barclay to appear to explain the next stages, sources say.

The UK is five days away from entering into a highly complex and potentially extensive set of negotiations with the EU, and from entering into quite an elaborate joint institutional architecture with the EU to manage the withdrawal agreement. But we know little in detail about how either of these are going to work on the UK side, in terms of institutions and process, says Brigid Fowler, a senior researcher with the Hansard Society.

While business has been clamouring for the government to reveal its Brexit vision beyond the joint aspiration of a tariff-free, quota-free deal, little is known about Boris Johnsons specific goals.

Johnson is doing everything he can to expunge the word Brexit from the British lexicon. He has already reduced parliamentary scrutiny of the next phase, and his government has given only clues as to what the goals and red lines in negotiations will be.

Negotiating mandates setting out wishlists and red lines are usually published by both sides before they enter into trade talks. Until Sunday, when the Brexit secretary, Stephen Barclay, told the BBCs Andrew Marr that they would be published, it had not been clear that Johnson would do so at all.

The prime minister is expected to give further clues in a keynote speech in the next fortnight, but parliaments involvement in approving the negotiating mandate was removed from the Brexit bill.

Essentially, the government seems to be planning to rely on normal mechanisms for ministerial accountability to parliament. These put the government in control of what information is made public and when, says Fowler.

A reshuffle is expected in early February and some departments are expected to be axed. Barclays Brexit department will close on Friday and there could be changes to the function of the Treasury, the Department for International Trade, the Foreign Office, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Home Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Michael Gove, the chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, continues to head a special Exiting the EU operation committee, known as XO, and is expected to continue to have a key role in the next phase.

HMRC will be one of the key cogs in the Brexit chain as work must start urgently on the complex arrangements for Northern Ireland that will affect all businesses trading on both sides of the Irish Sea. Expect an early clash between the EU and Johnson, who has repeatedly claimed there will be no checks on goods, in contradiction of the withdrawal agreement.

New border systems will be needed for the rest of the UK, and the EU and HMRC will be frustrated in designing them until the shape of the deal is known, possibly not until the summer. HMRC is short of key personnel and recently advertised for a deputy director to take charge of EU exit, who will be responsible for providing the strategic direction for the project, delivering all the operational, communications and business changes needed in readiness for the UKs exit.

A former head of HMRC has said it could take five years to get the sort of IT system proposed for Northern Ireland up and running.

Expect plenty of sabre-rattling on both sides, but negotiations are unlikely to begin before March. The European commission kicked off its 30-stage process in agreeing its negotiating goals before Christmas and these are expected to be signed off by member states at a meeting on 25 February.

David Frost, who replaced Oliver Robbins as the chief negotiator, is expected to lead a team of about 30 calling on expert knowledge from civil servants and trade experts. Some have suggested the government should hire as many as possible from the Canadian team that sealed Canadas new deal with the EU.

Under the withdrawal agreement, a joint committee of EU and UK representatives to oversee implementation of the treaty can sit from 1 February.

While the powers of the committee are known, we know very little else. The appointments process, the size of the committee and how often it will meet has yet to be disclosed. One senior source said the committee would not be as influential as speculated.

This remains the single most contentious part of the Brexit deal because of the checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea. De Rynck said last week that the EU and the UK would have to be very disciplined if they were to get a new system for trading in Northern Ireland ready for 31 December.

Brussels and Irish political leaders are already alarmed by Johnsons repeated declarations that there will be no checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea, even though some of these will be mandatory.

Helen McEntee, Irelands minister for European affairs contradicted him directly on Sunday telling Sky Newss Sophy Ridge: There will be no checks on the island of Ireland, weve been very clear on this.

Underneath the joint committee will be a specialised committee and working advisory group to establish the Northern Ireland protocol.

Northern Ireland businesses have urged the government to set up the working group urgently so that the detail of the checks can be determined quickly.

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What happens on Brexit day and what comes next? - The Guardian