Leo Varadkar warns ‘time is running out’ on Brexit deal

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has warned Britain’s prime minister Theresa May that “time is running out” on securing a soft-border Brexit deal. A leaked Government report has found that a hard Brexit will wipe €18bn off the Irish economy and cost as many as 20,000 jobs.

Increasing pressure on the British government before the two leaders meet in Belfast today to discuss the separate Stormont stalemate, Mr Varadkar yesterday backed EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier’s tough stance by saying “clarity and urgency” were needed on Brexit now.

“I wouldn’t say [the coming weeks are] the last chance, but time is running out,” Mr Varadkar told RTÉ Radio’s This Week programme. “It is 20 months since the referendum, 20 years since some of them started campaigning, and we still don’t know what Brexit means. We need clarity and urgency from them.”