Taoiseach urges Irish in Britain to ‘Remain’

The Taoiseach has urged the Irish in Britain to come out to vote claiming they may make the difference in the outcome of the Brexit referendum.

With polls placing both the Remain and Leave sides neck and neck, Mr Kenny has urged the 330,000 Irish who are eligible to vote to use their ballot to keep Britain in the European Union.

In an op-ed in today’s Guardian newspaper Mr Kenny writes that it is not his place to dictate to the British electorate but instead speaks directly to Irish in Britain.

He argues that it is in their interest to remain in the EU in Thursday’s referendum.

Mr Kenny travelled to Liverpool and Manchester last week to campaign for a Remain vote. However, he cancelled campaigning in the wake of the murder of British Labour MP Jo Cox.

With €1.2bn in trade between Ireland and Britain each week and 200,000 jobs in Ireland dependent on UK business, a number of government ministers have travelled to Irish communities in the Britain and the North to highlight the importance of a remain vote for this country.

Minister for Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphries also travelled to Co Down last night in a bid to drum up support for the remain campaign.

Fianna Fáil foreign affairs spokesman Darragh O’Brien said if Britain votes to leave, the repercussions for Ireland would be far-reaching and wideranging.

Mr O’Brien said: “There is no room for apathy or complacency from any quarters on this crucial issue.”

He said the impact on the North is a cause of great concern and a Brexit would be “a blow” to British-Irish and North-South relations.

Mr O’Brien said: “The almost certain reintroduction of hard controls on the border between North and South would have serious implications for cross-border workers and students and would inevitably disrupt trade and tourism as well.

“Co-operation between north and south and between Ireland and Britain has been never been stronger and more productive, but it was hard won and is not inevitable.”

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin has said a vote to leave has the potential to disrupt and depress agricultural exports. MEP Liadh Ní Riada said Britain accounts for almost half of our meat and dairy exports, and the uncertainty that would follow a Leave vote on Thursday will impact on food producers across Ireland.

“Long-term, a British exit from the EU will mean an end to easy access for their market for Irish produce, and could lead to tariffs, making Irish goods a less attractive proposition for British buyers.

“Ireland would be unable to negotiate its own trade deal with Britain under EU rules, whereas Britain would be free to agree its own terms with non-EU beef-producing countries such as Brazil and Argentina,” she said.

She also questioned the level of planning by the Government in the event of a vote for British withdrawal from the EU later this week.