Brexit: For many Irish firms 'an awful lot hangs on a deal being done'

Irish small firms exporting and importing from Britain will be damaged even if some sort of last-minute deal is struck between the EU and the UK, Isme warns

Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen. The British prime minister is holding talks with the European Commission president to take stock of negotiations on a post-Brexit free-trade deal.File picture

Irish small firms exporting and importing from Britain will be damaged even if some sort of last-minute deal is struck between the EU and the UK, the head of business group Isme has warned. 

Neil McDonnell said "it was already too late" because any so-called comprehensive trade deal would be "too thin" at this stage for firms to plan to safeguard against significant disruption in the coming months.