North border checks will be rejected

Ireland and the EU will reject British prime minister Boris Johnson’s latest Brexit proposals as long as they demand border checks on the island of Ireland.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has made it clear Ireland will never sign up to such checks as part of a Brexit deal.

As Mr Johnson prepares to table formal proposals tomorrow in a very last-ditch attempt to reach a deal, he suggested some checks away from the border will be required.

This is directly at odds with Mr Varadkar, who has made it clear that customs posts or checks of any kind would not be tolerated as part of a Brexit agreement.

With a no-deal now more likely than ever, Mr Varadkar has not ruled out a televised state-of-the-nation address in the coming weeks.

As the clock ticks down to the October 31 deadline and the UK continues to reject the backstop, the Government has ramped up its communications and rolled out an information campaign for citizens alerting them of the threat of a crash-out Brexit.

After another day of confusion and chaos, Mr Johnson appeared to distance himself from reports that the UK had already sent informal plans that would see the country replace the backstop option with customs infrastructure 8km-16km from the border.

However, he also said that “minimal and non-intrusive” checks could be needed and urged both the EU and Ireland to work with him as the “rubber hits the road”.

Mr Johnson is due to table formal Brexit alternatives in the next 24 hours, and said it would soon become apparent if there is “no way of getting it over the line from their point of view”.

Speaking in the Dáil yesterday, Mr Varadkar said: “We will never sign up to checks as part of a deal.

“When we in the Government talk about checks, we talk about them being necessary in the context of having no deal.

“No British government should try to impose a solution upon Ireland which is opposed by the people of Ireland, North and south.”

Mr Varadkar welcomed the fact Mr Johnson had “disowned and distanced” himself from reports claiming the UK’s so-called non-papers had included details of customs clearance posts on both sides of the border.

“Had he not, in my view it would have been hard evidence of bad faith on behalf of the British government,” Mr Varadkar told the Dáil.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney dismissed any suggestions around placing a time limit on the backstop, saying this would mean there would be “no onus” on the UK to find alternative solutions to it.

Mr Coveney also said there is still a “serious and significant gap” between what the UK is putting forward and what Ireland and the EU can, or are willing to, accept.

“Ireland cannot move away from an agreed negotiated position to an unknown and untested solution,” said Mr Coveney.

There was a lengthy discussion on Brexit preparedness among ministers at Cabinet yesterday as they were again told to prepare for a worst-case scenario.

It comes as a lorry carrying a fleet of seven new customs cars arrived in a yard in Dundalk yesterday.

Ireland has yet to reach agreement with the European Commission on no-deal planning around the border. These discussions were described as “extremely complicated” by a Government spokesperson.

A small group of senior civil servants from both the Taoiseach’s department and the Department of Foreign Affairs have been in negotiations.

However, it is expected to take several more weeks before agreement is reached on border arrangements and any grace period on implementing World Trade Organisation agreements in the case of a no-deal.

Meanwhile, Phil Hogan was last night approved as European trade commissioner, meaning he could have a significant role to play in any talks around a future deal between Europe and Britain after Brexit.