John Bruton and Bertie Ahern call for new Brexit poll

Two former taoisigh have called for a second Brexit referendum as the British government continues to struggle to find any sort of agreement on the Irish border.

Describing Brexit proposals as a “mess”, Bertie Ahern said he would love to see the question of the UK leaving the EU put to the people again.

This was echoed by John Bruton, who claimed holding another referendum is now “the only way out” for British prime minister Theresa May. Given the fierce protestations of the DUP over the latest proposals around the backstop and a ministerial resignation last week, it is now unclear as to whether Ms May will be in a position to put forward proposals to her Cabinet tomorrow.

It comes as Ibec today publish its latest Quarterly Economic Outlook which warns of “severe disruption across almost all areas of the economy” if a Brexit deal is not reached.

While Ibec is forecasting growth of 4.5% in 2019, following growth of 7.8% in 2018, a no-deal Brexit would have “knock-on downside risks” to this growth.

“Already we are beginning to see company margins squeezed by the depreciation of sterling and softening confidence impacting on investment in the most Brexit exposed sectors,” said the report. “In the absence of a Brexit deal, the growing uncertainty will cause these trends to intensify during 2019.”

Mr Ahern yesterday said Brexit “is a mess” but he added that there is still time to hammer out an agreement before leaders meet in December.

“The beginning of a deal, I think, is possible,” he said. “Maybe not enough for a council meeting in November. We are drifting fast into the December date.”

Mr Ahern praised Taoiseach Leo Varadkar for remaining firm in demanding that there can be no softening of the Northern Ireland backstop.

“I would love to see another referendum,” said Mr Ahern. “You ask me is it likely? I think [Labour leader Jeremy] Corbyn and [John] McDonnell, from where I sit as an outsider now, are probably not far away from being Brexiteers anyway, so I don’t think they are going to be pushing too hard for it, but I would love to see it.”

Mr Bruton went further by stating the British government will have little or no other option than call another poll.

“I think that a second referendum is going to be the only way out for Theresa May,” he told RTÉ’s The Week in Politics. “She will find that she doesn’t have a majority to get the agreement through and she will then say ‘rather than having a general election, let’s have a referendum with this as option or staying in the EU’.”

Ms May saw pro-Remain minister Jo Johnson quit last week as he called for a new referendum on the final deal.

It is thought this will not be the end of Ms May’s woes as she struggles to achieve any sort of consensus among members of her Government. Yesterday, Brexiteer minister Andrea Leadsom told the BBC the UK cannot be held “against its will” in a backstop customs arrangement with the EU.

Meanwhile, Tánaiste Simon Coveney and Minister of state for European Affairs Helen McEntee are in Brussels today for meetings on Brexit and other matters with counterparts at the General Affairs Council.