The Port of Cork is doubling the size of its customs building in Ringaskiddy due to the increasing likelihood of a hard Brexit.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has warned British prime minister Boris Johnson that London will still face "years" of talks with the EU even if it forces a no-deal Brexit.

Julian Smith has been appointed Northern Ireland Secretary, Downing Street said.

So there we have it, Boris Johnson is officially the new British Prime Minister.

Customs experts, academics, industry figures and a senior police officer will form part of a new advisory panel on finding alternatives to the Brexit backstop for the Irish border.

Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has claimed that Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg admitted to him that he had no idea what the Irish border was.

So that’s nearly Monday wrapped up. Here’s some of the stories we published on irishexaminer.com today which we hope will help you make sense of it all this evening.

The European Union (EU) will not discuss anything with Britain about a future post-Brexit relationship until issues relating to the Irish border are resolved, Michel Barnier has said.

Update 10.45pm: Michel Barnier has warned the UK that if they don't support Theresa May's deal in the next few days their options going forward will be limited.

It was conspiracy theory central in the Dáil on Wednesday.

A no-deal Brexit would mean a certain return to violence along the Irish border a UNESCO backed report has warned.

In regards to the Irish border question in Brexit and Mrs May hoping to bring some use of technology that is used here on the Canada / USA border.

Preparations for a cliff edge outcome of the UK crashing out of the EU in March would lead to the policing of the Irish border as if it were the Polish-Russia frontier.

We've successfully collaborated on electricity supply for 11 years, but could Brexit pull this unique innovation apart?

Ahead of Sunday's gathering, Spanish premier Pedro Sanchez demanded last-minute changes to the deal despite Mrs May's efforts to win him round.

Holding a second Brexit referendum is “entirely up to” Britain but securing a deal that protects the Irish border must be prioritised, the Taoiseach has said.

Your lunchtime bulletin.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney and EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier have indicated they are willing to negotiate on the March backstop deal in a bid to prevent a deeply damaging no-deal, crash-out Brexit.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator says he wants an "all-weather insurance policy" to ensure there's no hard border.

Here is your morning bulletin.

The latest proposals from the British government have been described as a “step towards a much softer Brexit” by Tánaiste Simon Coveney.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar along with his fellow EU leaders will today express his deep disappointment at the lack of progress from the “chaotic” British government on Brexit.

The British government has fantasy “non-solutions” to the Irish border and are indifferent to the fallout from Brexit for Ireland, Sinn Féin president Mary-Lou McDonald has claimed.

"I can't give guarantees on behalf of the Republic of Ireland but I cannot for a moment believe that they will want to put in place administrative systems which we don't put in place."

Former taoiseach Brian Cowen has warned Britain that it risks crashing out of the Brexit talks — damaging Ireland in the process — unless it finds a solution to its Irish border stance which he said simply “defies logic”.

Your lunchtime news bulletin.

The fallback deal to ensure there is no return to any border or checkpoints in the North is now “legally firm”, the Government has said.

Theresa May's new Brexit offer will be put to the test this week as negotiations between British and European Union officials resume in Brussels.

Pressure is mounting on the British Government to outline how it proposes to deal with the Irish border after Brexit.

Theresa May accused Labour of betraying Britons over Brexit as she faced calls to put the country ahead of her Cabinet's "oversized egos".

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said December's soft Irish border agreement will remain "legally binding" even if it is not included in the draft UK-EU withdrawal deal and is instead relegated to a secondary report.

"It's almost impossible to have a close relationship between Ireland and Britain, which is necessary for the Irish peace process, and have the divergence that some of the hard Brexiteers want."

Here are all the latest headlines this lunchtime.

The issue of the Irish border has "almost been weaponised" in the Brexit debate, former Ulster Unionist leader Reg Empey has warned.

IT has been a difficult few years for anyone who holds cautiously progressive beliefs, for anyone who believes that considered liberalism and broad, but qualified, tolerance are empowering for mankind.

Ireland has secured a backstop to prevent a hard border in the North but the deal will likely come back to haunt the Brexit talks and, like a riddle, will have to be solved one way or another.

Leaders of the 27 remaining EU states are now expected to agree at a Brussels summit on Friday that the second phase can begin.

The Irish and British governments have clashed over whether the Brexit agreement intended to trigger trade talks is legally binding or not.

Here are all the latest headlines this lunchtime.

The European Union cannot allow the continued free flow of goods across the Irish border if Britain is outside the single market and the customs union, Tony Blair has warned.

DUP leader Arlene Foster has warned against a "zero sum" approach to the Irish border, as negotiations between the UK and the EU in the current round of Brexit talks reach their final stage.

Latest: The UK should not seek convergence with EU regulations after Brexit, a senior Democratic Unionist said.

Democratic Unionist leader Arlene Foster has warned Sinn Féin to "get serious" about the terms of a deal to restore Stormont powersharing, accusing republicans of using rights issues as a cloak to break unionism.