No-deal Brexit has shifted from remote to 'a real possibility', Tanaiste warns

The Tánaiste has urged the country, and especially businesses, to prepare for a no-deal Brexit which he says has shifted from being a remote possibility to a real possibility.

Simon Coveney was speaking in Cork this morning ahead of a fresh round of indicative votes in the House of Commons today as MPs try to find an alternative to Theresa's May deal.

Mr Coveney said no-one can be sure of the outcome of the debates this week given that the British political system is "unpredictable and semi-chaotic" at the moment with a "deeply, deeply divided parliament in Westminster".

And he said while the Irish government will continue to work politically with its EU partners and hopefully with the UK to ensure the best possible outcome for Ireland, it is ramping up preparations for a crash-out Brexit.

"I still personally don’t think it will happen but we can’t be sure," he said.

"Ireland really needs to focus now over the next 10-days on getting itself ready for a no-deal Brexit, just in case.

"There are many businesses who are not as prepared as they should be even though we have done a huge amount of outreach and spent an awful lot of money doing that.

"There are supports available, there is advice available, there are low-cost loans available, there is funding available to actually take on specialist consultancy advice to help you prepare for Brexit."

He urged companies should not ignore the realities.

"They should, at the very minimum, be registering with Revenue to make sure that they understand what’s needed of them in the context of customs checks and also potentially the imposition of tariffs - their supply chains may be affected, their client base may be affected as well," Mr Coveney said.

It has emerged that of the 82,000 Irish firms registered by Revenue as trading with the UK in 2017, 62,000 are not registered for an Economic Operators Registration and Identification number which will be required if they intend to continue to trade with or through the UK post-Brexit.

Mr Coveney said while many companies have prepared, many have not and that needs to change this week.

"While of course politically, we will be working with other EU countries and, I hope, the UK to try and find a way forward this week we do need to prepare Ireland for the worst possible outcome should that happen," he said.