Ireland most to fear in ‘Brexit’

Ireland will lose more than even the UK if it exits the EU, according to a detailed study by a German think-tank.

The Republic, with all other EU member states, will also end up paying more into the EU budget, as the UK pays €8.5bn more than it receives, which amounts to 0.5% of its GDP.

The report by Bertelsmann Stiftung is the first to consider the economic effect under different scenarios — from having Swiss-type trade deals to total independence.