Irish make demand for commitment on border

Irish premier Leo Varadkar has demanded a commitment there will be no return to a “hard border” between Northern Ireland and the Republic in a fresh clash with Theresa May over Brexit.

Attending a European summit in Sweden, the Taoiseach made clear Brexit negotiations could not move to the second phase until the border status was clear.

Mrs May is anxious to secure the agreement of EU leaders to open discus- sions on Britain’s future relations with the bloc, including a free trade deal, when they meet next month in Brussels. However, Mr Varadkar, who met Mrs May in the margins of the Gothenburg gathering, said that would require further “concessions” from the UK.

“Before we move to phase two talks on trade, we want taken off the table any suggestion that there will be a physical border, a hard border,” he said.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is in Dublin to meet Irish counterpart Simon Coveney.