Minister rules out bilateral Brexit despite Irish ‘collateral damage’ warning

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has ruled out any chance of a bilateral Brexit deal between Ireland and Britain — despite a House of Lords report warning this country faces becoming the “collateral damage” of the UK’s break from Europe unless the drastic action is taken.

The minister downplayed the possibility of a joint agreement between both nations yesterday just hours after a 70-page review said Ireland’s agriculture, manufacturing, and SME sectors could bear the brunt of the financial fallout.

In an unusual step which underlines the wide risk posed by Brexit, House of Lords representatives yesterday travelled to Dublin to publish the first of six reports by its European affairs committee on the likely impact of Britain’s breakaway from the EU.