Taoiseach Leo Varadkar ‘does not want economic border’

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Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has called for “unique solutions” to preserve the relationship between the UK and the European Union after Brexit.

Speaking in Belfast during his first official visit to Northern Ireland, he raised the possibility of a bilateral UK-EU customs union.

The taoiseach described Brexit as “the challenge of this generation”.

“Every single aspect of life in Northern Ireland could be affected by Brexit,” he told an invited audience.

Those who favour a hard Brexit have already had 14 months to come up with a plan, he warned.

“If they cannot, and I believe they cannot, we can then talk meaningfully about solutions that might work for all of us,” he said.

Mr Varadkar offered two of his own suggestions:

• The possibility of an EU-UK customs union if the UK wants to remain in the customs union
• A “deep free trade agreement” with the EU if the UK does not want to stay in the single market, with the possibility of its rejoining EFTA (European Free Trade Association)

The taoiseach referred to the lack of input into the Brexit debate from Northern Ireland due to the collapse of the Stormont executive.

“We need an answer to the question of who we – and others in Europe – talk to in Belfast,” he said. “Who will speak for Northern Ireland and her 1.8 million people?”

He was speaking at the city’s Queen’s University on the future of north-south relations, and is due to meet the Northern Ireland parties.

On Saturday, Mr Varadkar, who is the Republic of Ireland’s first openly gay taoiseach, will attend an event as part of Belfast’s gay pride festival.

Mr Varadkar said: “It will come as no surprise to anyone here that I do not want there to be an economic border on our island, nor do I want one between Ireland and Britain.

“By economic border, I am not talking about currency or variation in tax rates. I am talking about a barrier to free trade and commerce.”

Mr Varadkar also urged politicians to do a deal to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland.

The taoiseach is to meet the DUP, Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the Alliance Party later on Friday. He will not be meeting the Ulster Unionist Party as its leadership was not available.

His meeting with DUP leader Arlene Foster will come days after a row between the party and the taoiseach over the Irish border post-Brexit.

Mr Varadkar had said he would not design a border for Brexiteers but DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson said that “megaphone diplomacy from Dublin” would not sort out the border issue.

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Speaking on Good Morning Ulster on Friday, Sir Jeffrey said his party welcomed the opportunity to sit down with the taoiseach.

“It is better to have dialogue than what we’ve seen in recent weeks which is the Irish government making statements about a border in the Irish Sea which is totally impractical and a non starter,” he said.

“We have to negotiate our way through this.

On the same programme, Sinn Féin MLA Conor Murphy said the taoiseach was “acting in the interests of the people of Ireland when he makes these remarks and these approaches to the European Union”.

“We have to ensure that our interests are up there. The fact that we are Irish citizens and European citizens and we have rights to be protected, needs to be front and centre. And we look to the taoiseach to defend our interests,” he said.

On Thursday, former taoiseach John Bruton, a former leader of Mr Varadkar’s Fine Gael party, said that the DUP is in a position to answer questions over Brexit because of its Westminster pact with the Conservative Party.

In a call with Mr Varadkar in July, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon outlined a plan to keep Scotland in the Single Market and Customs Union.