A “bulletproof” deal hammered out between the EU and the UK now guarantees there will be no hard border with the North, paving the way for a soft Brexit.

In cautiously steering a Brexit border agreement in Ireland’s favour, the young-gun Taoiseach has shown the maturity of a political heavyweight.

Opposition parties have given the Brexit border agreement a cautious welcome, warning that the next phase of talks will be “economically critical” for Ireland.

EU leaders have gathered for a potentially divisive debate on whether to create a new border guard with powers to unilaterally deploy to countries unable to manage their borders.