Officials asked to set out ‘worst case’ Brexit scenario

GOVERNMENT departments have been tasked with preparing for a worst-case scenario for Brexit should the UK exit the European Union without a deal.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has requested Government-wide input into contingency planning for the worst possible outcome as phase two of negotiations kicks off.

Over the next few months, various departments will identify areas which could possibly be affected by a disorderly Brexit – a no-deal scenario – and how these areas would be affected. Those areas include finances, legislation and resources.

The exercise is to ensure the Government would be in a strong position if no deal is reached and would have the knowledge on what legislation would need to be fast-tracked.

On Monday, junior minister Helen McEntee is to attend a meeting of the General Affairs Council in Brussels where EU27 ministers will adopt a new set of negotiating directives for Brexit.

And the Tánaiste is set to visit London on Wednesday where he will make an address at an event called the British-Irish Relationship: Past, Present and Future. Simon Coveney will reflect on significant ‘milestones’ in our past as well as challenges posed by Brexit.

Meanwhile, Leo Varadkar yesterday said it will be up to the UK to ‘square the circle’ of avoiding a hard border in Ireland and pursuing global free trade deals outside the sphere of EU regulation.

During an interview with CNN at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Taoiseach said a ‘unique solution’ could be key to avoiding a hard border in the North or a new EU-UK partnership style model, RTÉ reported. Mr Varadkar said the onus was on the UK to come up with a solution, stating: ‘I would humbly suggest that it is for the people who are leaving to square that circle, and not others.

‘One way that it could be done is through a new EU-UK agreement, a new partnership that in many ways may not be the single market but could be very similar to it.’

The Taoiseach said it is his ‘job and the job of others’ to ensure that the agreement reached before Christmas to avoid a hard border was not a ‘fudge’ that would ‘disintegrate’ in a year.

Earlier this week, the Taoiseach said he has not seen any evidence that the UK could backtrack on its commitments, saying if they did it would ‘send a very bad message in general as well’.