Back-up plans for hard Brexit under way

Ireland has been making contingency arrangements for a hard Brexit for “some time” but will never tolerate a border with the North, the Taoiseach has said.

Leo Varadkar has said that more movement is needed from the British government on the Irish border ahead of an EU summit later this month as a paper put forward by British prime minister Theresa May last week is not satisfactory.

Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney will today brief Cabinet on Brexit developments, including contingency plans; work on protecting the Common Travel Area; and efforts to maintain co-operation on the likes of health, education, and social services between Ireland and Britain.