Tusk: Irish must be happy with border agreement

EUROPEAN Council president Donald Tusk has warned Theresa May she must satisfy Irish demands that there will be no “hard border” between the Republic and the North if the Brexit negotiations are to move forward.

Following talks with Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Dublin, Mr Tusk said it was now up to the UK Government to come forward with a “credible commitment” to deal with the border issue.

He said he had agreed to consult Mr Varadkar on any British proposal before deciding whether to recommend EU leaders give the green light to the second phase of Brexit negotiations, including talks on a free trade deal, to begin at their summit on December 14 and 15.

“If the UK offer is unacceptable for Ireland, it will also be unacceptable for the EU,” he told a joint news conference with Mr Varadkar.

Mr Tusk added: “I realise that for some British politicians this may be hard to understand, but such is the logic behind the fact that Ireland is an EU member while the UK is leaving.

“That is why the key to the UK’s future lies in some ways in Dublin, at least as long as the Brexit negotiations continue.”

Mr Tusk has given Mrs May until Monday to come forward with an improved offer on the terms of the UK’s withdrawal, including the “divorce bill” and future citizens’ rights, as well as the Irish border, if there is to be progress at the December summit.

The Prime Minister is due to travel to Brussels on Monday when she is expected to explain the latest British position at a lunch with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.