ERG Conservative MP Steve Baker has apologised for some of his behaviour towards Ireland and the EU during the Brexit process but "can he be trusted"?
Steve Baker: The Irish government should take Brexit ERG MP’s words with a 'pinch of salt' they'll always be a sting in the tail from the Conservatives #NeverTrustATory
The Minister of State in the NI Office (NIO) was speaking at the Conservative party conference.
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ERG Conservative MP Steve Baker: "We have to bring some humility to this situation"
He reflected that he and others did not "always behave in a way which encouraged Ireland and the European Union to trust us to accept that they have legitimate interests".
"I am sorry about that," he said.
Mr Baker, a well-known Eurosceptic, said "relations with Ireland are not where they should be and we all need to work extremely hard to improve them".
He added: "Actually the demise of our late majesty gave us an opportunity to meet leading Irish figures, and I said to some of them that I am sorry that we did not always respect your legitimate interests.
"I hope they won't mind me saying I could feel the ice thawing a bit."
Wanted to bring 'humility'
He was speaking on a panel alongside NI Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris and Conservative peer Lord Jonathan Caine, who is parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Northern Ireland Office.
Much of the discussion centred around the Northern Ireland Protocol, which keeps NI in the EU's single market for goods - avoiding a hard border on the Island of Ireland.
"To respect the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) does mean to have respect for all three strands," said Mr Baker.
Steve Baker, Lord Jonathan Caine and Chris Heaton-Harris on Sunday during the party conference
"As a unionist said to me they have seen constitutional change without their consent through the protocol," he added.
"Of course, others will argue they've seen constitutional change through having left the EU, without their consent.
"I want to accept and acknowledge that I and others didn't always behave in a way that encouraged Ireland and the EU to trust us to accept that they have legitimate interests, legitimate interests that we're willing to respect - because they do and we are willing to respect them," he said.
"I'm sorry about that, because relations with Ireland are not where they should be and we all need to work extremely hard to improve them and I know that we are doing so," he added.
However he added that the government was resolved to get progress on the protocol.
"It is not acceptable that Northern Ireland is so separate from Great Britain right now under the protocol, the protocol which at the moment is only partially implemented," he said.
"That combination of humility and resolve and that willingness to build up relations and say actually, yes, we do want to be Ireland's closest friends and partners, as we all respect all three strands of the Belfast/GFA - that really is where we need to be," he added.
He said people were keen for a negotiated solution.
Ireland's Taoiseach (prime minister) Micheál Martin said on Sunday that he detects "genuine engagement and a wish to get this issue resolved" from Prime Minister Liz Truss.
He added that he believed she would prefer a negotiated solution to the issue.
The UK and EU are set to restart talks aimed at resolving the row over the NI Protocol.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly held talks with his EU counterpart Maroš Šefčovič on Friday afternoon.
The government has been attempting to change the deal it originally agreed with the EU nearly three years ago.
But talks have largely been at a standstill since February.
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) withdraw from Stormont institutions in protest at the post-Brexit trading arrangements, arguing that the protocol threatens Northern Ireland's place in the union.
The protocol effectively keeps the North of Ireland in the EU's single market for goods - avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland.
But it means new checks on goods arriving from Great Britain, causing deep concern among unionists.
The NI Protocol has caused concern among unionists/loyalists (PUL) but the majority of the electorate in the north support the #Protocol and wish to remain part of the European Union
It was welcomed by the DUP, which has called for the bill to be "fully enacted" before the party considers a return to power sharing, but was condemned by political opponents and the EU as a breach of international law.
Since becoming prime minister this month, Ms Truss has reiterated that she wants to reach a negotiated outcome with the EU that would avoid use of the protocol bill's powers.
However, the legislation is still expected to begin its scrutiny in the House of Lords in the coming weeks.
Follow these links to find out more on this story: DUP Lies Won't let Protocol facts get in way of Brexit devotion
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