Northern Ireland customs union call

Northern Ireland should retain the benefits of the European customs union after Brexit, Ireland’s foreign affairs minister has said.

Simon Coveney said this could be achieved through a soft Brexit whereby the UK remains in the single market or the customs union.

He made the remarks at an event in Belfast, where he addressed local business leaders and urged them to lobby for the UK to stay in the single market and protect the cross-border movement of 118,000 vehicles a day.