Former taoiseach Brian Cowen warns on Brexit

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”.

Speaking as Britain’s current solutions were ridiculed and rejected outright by EU rivals as “fantasy island unicorn stuff”, Mr Cowen said the reality is the Brexit talks will fail unless alternatives are found now.

In an interview on RTÉ Radio’s Today with Sean O’Rourke, Mr Cowen said Ireland and the EU now has to “wait on the ingenuity of the Brits” to resolve the Brexit stand-off.