Taoiseach says there are no 'red flags' in deal to end post-Brexit checks between North and Britain

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that the Government had only just seen the detail of the agreement and it will need to be studied. Picture: Jiulien Behal

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that there are no “red flags” in the deal reached between the DUP and British government to end post-Brexit checks between the North and Britain.

Speaking in Brussels, Mr Varadkar said that the Government had only just seen the detail of the agreement, adding that it will need to be studied.

“I think there are certainly going to be some questions that we will want to ask, more particularly the European Commission will want to ask some questions about the trading arrangements,” Mr Varadkar said.

“But from what I’ve seen so far, I don’t see any red flags. 

"I don’t see anything that would give us undue cause for concern, but like I say we will have to study it further and certainly there will be some questions.” 

The Taoiseach said that it was key for the Government that any deal reached is “faithful” to the Good Friday Agreement, adding that he is “confident” this is the case.

He added that it also needs to be faithful to the Windsor Framework, agreed between Britain and the EU in early 2023.

The command paper, which sets out the changes made to post-Brexit trading arrangements between the North and Britain, commits to replacing the current ‘green lane’ process with a ‘UK internal market system’, which will govern how goods move between Britain and the North.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has said that the plan is a key concession from the British government, which removes the so-called Irish Sea border for goods that are due to remain within the North.