Fine Gael and the European People's Party are trying to compete with the far-right by copying their policies, the Labour Party has warned.

The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar yesterday backed an EU plan that would see asylum seekers sent to countries outside of the EU while their international protection applications are being processed.

The plan is a key part of the European Peoples Party (EPP) manifesto for the European Parliament elections in June.

Fine Gael is a member of the EPP and speaking in Romania yesterday, the Taoiseach defended the plan.

He also insisted it is ‘very different’ to the UKs controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda while their applications are being processed.

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Labour education spokesperson Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said the EPP is trying to tackle the rise of the far right by attempting to ‘ape their policies’.

“This isn't a fringe policy from some far-right group,” he said.

“This is the European People's Party, of which Fine Gael is a member, they are one of the largest groups in the European Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen is effectively their leader.”

He said the policy mirrors the UK’s Rwanda plan in sending people to a third country they have no connection with.

“Effectively we're going down the route of, I think, from the EPP's perspective, tackling the rise of the far-right with, effectively, far-right policies,” he said.

“We have to be serious about where this sentiment is coming from and how we tackle it in, in a way that is progressive, understanding, compassionate.

“If the response from European politics is to go down the route of this sort of rhetoric - of deportation to third countries and of following the lead of the UK - it's divisive, it doesn't work, it doesn't help and it doesn't address the root causes [of migration].”

Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin speaking outside Leinster House in November 2021. Image: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

He said the plan goes against the principles of the EU approach to international relations, which is traditionally “based on humanity and based on compassion”.

“This is not based on either of those two things,” he said. “It's reactive.”

“I think it's a mainstream centre-right party looking at the rise of the far-right and believing that they have to ape some of those policies in order to compete with them – and that is a zero-sum game for European politics.”

Then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visiting Kyiv, Ukraine during a surprise visit in April 2022. Picture by: Geopix / Alamy Stock Photo

He said he does not believe Fine Gael voters want to see the party “going down the UK route of divisive politics”.

“These are reactionary policies which are, really, based in point-scoring rather than actually coming to the root of the issue,” he said.

“That's not what the European Union is supposed to be about and I'm disappointed - extremely disappointed - that the EPP would come up with this in an election year.”

Deputy Ó Ríordáin said the proposal aims to “garner support from some of the worst instincts of people” when it comes to the refugee issue.

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