Plan to protect jobs in US firm exodus

Enterprise Ireland has said it will need to develop “contingency plans” to protect indigenous Irish businesses if US president-elect Donald Trump moves to repatriate American multinational firms.

The prospect of a “flood of companies” fleeing Ireland was raised by an adviser to Mr Trump this week, after a pledge in the US election race that corporate taxes would be cut there.

Further doubts about the future were also raised in surprise remarks by EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker last night as he warned that Mr Trump risked upsetting US ties with Europe.