No-deal ‘will lead to checks in Ireland’

Northern Ireland secretary Karen Bradley has made clear a no-deal Brexit will deliver customs and regulatory checks on the island of Ireland.

She stressed that, while the UK Government is committed to working to avoid a hard border, World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules are “very clear” and checks would need to be carried out on consignments passing between two customs territories on a contemporaneous basis.

The Conservative MP also suggested UK and EU commitments outlined in last December’s joint report on maintaining the Common Travel Area – an agreement which allows free movement for UK and Irish citizens in Britain and Ireland – would also be thrown into doubt in a no-deal scenario.

Ms Bradley, who pitched the merits of the draft Brexit deal to business leaders in Belfast yesterday, said the report’s undertakings to protect the Single Electricity Market (SEM) and ensure certain citizens’ rights are upheld post-Brexit would also fall by the wayside if the UK crashes out.

“They are agreed as part of the withdrawal agreement, that is not something that is agreed in a no-deal situation,” she said.

During the business briefing, Ms Bradley was asked to react to comments from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that a border would be inevitable in a no-deal scenario.

The secretary of state was challenged on the apparent contrast between Mr Varadkar’s statement and the UK Government’s oft-stated position that it is committed to ensuring no hard border postBrexit.

In response, she urged the audience to familiarise themselves with WTO rules on the need for checks to happen.

Karen Bradley has warned of a no-deal scenario.