Border deadlock ‘makes exit with no deal more likely’

DEADLOCK OVER the Irish border means it is more likely that the UK will crash out of the European Union without a deal, the Irish prime minister says.

Leaders from across the bloc are stepping up preparations for a no-deal scenario as the deadline looms for find a solution, Leo Varadkar said.

After talks in Guernsey with Cabinet Minister David Lidington and the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, the Taoiseach said efforts to find a resolution would intensify over the next couple of months.

The talks came as European Commission president JeanClaude Juncker completed his two-day trip to Dublin, where he joined other European leaders in pledging the bloc’s solidarity with Ireland over the border uncertainty.

He was received an Irish Gaelic games jersey reflecting European unity. The Cork shirt with the number 27 was in acknowledgement of his role representing the EU27 members.

In Guernsey, Mr Varadkar said a ‘no-deal’ Brexit “is more likely than it was a few months ago but I still don’t think it is likely”. He said: “Ultimately it is in the interests of Ireland and in the interests of the United Kingdom and the interests of the European Union that we have an orderly Brexit and a new relationship that works for everyone.”

He added: “That’s what we are going to do over the next couple of months, really try to intensify our efforts to come to a withdrawal agreement,” he said.

Brussels has warned that more work was needed on how to deal with the 300-mile border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, the UK’s only land frontier with a European state, and protect frictionless movement after the withdrawal.