Sterling held its gains against the euro and the dollar as currency markets surveyed polls suggesting Boris Johnson’s Conservatives were on course to secure a comfortable Commons majority in Thursday’s election.

Further large gains for sterling are unlikely after the currency rallied on a poll showing Boris Johnson securing a large majority in the UK election on December 12, a leading economics consultancy has said.

If things are going well then the end of possibility seems remote. It things are not, then our fickleness is exposed and something close enough to fear usurps hope.

Over the past three years the whole Brexit fiasco has been a total circus, but the circus has undoubtedly become even more bizarre over the past week.

Boris Johnson’s plan to scrap the backstop and replace it with a double border now leaves Ireland and the EU in a Brexit predicament where none of the viable options include an orderly exit.

Tumultuous events seen at their enactment as unprecedented, are often insignificant and measure history repeating itself.

Boris Johnson can emerge with a majority in parliament, which is all he really wants, says Michael Clifford.

The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is attempting to ram home hard Brexiteer policy by playing with the House of Commons rules, writes Eddie Hobbs

Brexit fears will cost the Government €1bn in lost tax revenues this year as Irish consumers rein in spending, according to a major survey.

In any negotiation, both sides must compromise, writes Jim Power.

Former Taoiseach John Bruton has said that new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has only one perspective and that is to ensure that the Conservatives win the next election.

Last week, across the water, Boris Johnson was elected leader of the Tory party and hence Prime Minister on a Brexit ticket.

Irish politicians have been congratulating Boris Johnson following his election victory today.

However, other political parties in Northern Ireland expressed concern at Mr Johnson’s election as Conservative Party leader, particularly in terms of the potential implications for Brexit.

Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said that he does not think Boris Johnson “has a hope in hell” of making the Brexit deadline of October 31.

If, as is expected, Boris Johnson becomes the new Prime Minister this week, he will find himself engaged in a political fire-fight almost before he has even got his feet under the desk at 10 Downing Street.

For a politician who once declared as a child that he would like to be ‘king of the world’,the leadership of his country may have to suffice, writes David Hughes.

Sterling tumbled against the dollar and slid to a six-month low of under 90 pence against the euro as fears over a Halloween exit for Britain from the EU haunted investors.

The outlook for the Irish economy remains uncertain until the UK decides how it will go about exiting the EU, the European Commission has said.

Sterling fell sharply against both the euro and the dollar over the heightened scare that Britain will crash out of the EU at Halloween.

The cost for the Irish State for any long-term borrowing is fast approaching zero as markets reacted to the nomination of Christine Lagarde to head up the ECB.

The lifting of a scare over an unexpected shortfall in corporation tax revenues could pave the way for some sort of giveaway budget even as the gloom over a no-deal Brexit outcome deepens, a leading economist has said.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said whoever becomes the UK's next prime minister will get a "fair hearing" from the EU.

Global shares rose on the belief more central banks will be forced to cut interest rates to shelter the global economy from the trade wars, but crash-out Brexit fears weighed heavily on sterling.

In a joint statement last night, both governments referred to its previous communique of April 26 and the “new phase of political talks in Northern Ireland”.

The European Union phobia virus has spread through the Tory party via infectious members such as Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg.

The fall of Theresa May pushed sterling slightly higher, but only after the currency had fallen sharply in the past week on the prospect her probable successor, hard Brexiteer Boris Johnson would drive Britain out of the EU without a deal.

Fresh concerns around Northern Ireland have been raised following Theresa May's resignation announcement.

Maria Pearson, a native Irish speaker from Gaoth Dobhair in Donegal, has won a seat for the Tory Party in the local elections for Brentwood Borough Council in England. This is the first time a native Irish speaker has been elected.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has declared there will be no “return to armed actions” in the event of a 'no-deal' Brexit, as several parties blasted government preparations for Britain's EU exit.

Just over two years ago, when Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster said it would be a mistake to allow the local crocodiles to hope that their well-honed appetites might be satisfied because, no matter how much they were given to eat, they would want more she revealed far more than she intended.

A new Brexit plan which is reported to be backed by members of both the Remain and Leave camps of the Conservative party has been put forward.

Latest: Former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said the backstop needs to "come out" of Thresea May's Withdrawal Agreement with the EU in order to allow Brexit.

After two-and-a-half years of utter chaos, the Brexit situation took it to a whole new level this week, with the cancellation of the vote on the withdrawal agreement and then the long-awaited — and inevitable — challenge to Theresa May’s leadership of the Tory party.

After two-and-a-half years of utter chaos, the Brexit situation took it to a whole new level this week, with the cancellation of the vote on the withdrawal agreement and then the long-awaited — and inevitable — challenge to Theresa May’s leadership of the Tory party.

Investors are the most bearish on sterling since the UK voted to leave the EU almost two-and-a-half-years ago, as markets wait for the possibility of a no-confidence vote on prime minister Theresa May.

A senior Fianna Fáil TD has lashed out at the "comic-book" theatrics to the Brexit deal by "right wing" factions of the British government and DUP, saying he is "aghast" at their initial response.

There has been outrage over potential legal action against soldiers for events linked to the Troubles.

Europe will not think twice about screwing Ireland, if it has to, in order to screw Britain. We are so small and peripheral to the grander scheme of things, writes Political Editor Daniel McConnell. 

Just 98 days and counting.

The aerospace giant Airbus made its views on Brexit unequivocal over the past couple of weeks. 

Mary Lou McDonald has that intangible X-factor that few others in politics have and has used all of her considerable skills — including her attractiveness — to climb the ranks of Sinn Féin in a relatively short time. Like Margaret Thatcher she has exploited her gender positively, making herself the obvious choice to succeed Gerry Adams, writes Daniel McConnell

Theresa May's handling of the border question could bring Brexit negotiations "crashing down", according to the UK Government's former chief negotiator on Northern Ireland.

As political zeal trumps economic interest, there may be full rupture between England and the EU, writes Denis MacShane