Taoiseach: Brexit talks hit ‘rocky patch’

Brexit talks have entered a “rocky patch” as there are “obvious problems” with British proposals, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said.

Taoiseach: Brexit talks hit ‘rocky patch’

Brexit talks have entered a “rocky patch” as there are “obvious problems” with British proposals, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said.

With the crucial October deadline now likely to be missed, Mr Varadkar said negotiators are working hard to avoid a no-deal Brexit but insisted they are not preparing for a hard border with customs checks along the border.

His comments came as British prime minister Theresa May warned that there are two main issues where the EU and UK remain a “long way apart” in their Brexit negotiations.

Speaking in 10 Downing Street after she returned from an EU meeting of leaders in Salzburg, Ms May said the UK has “treated the EU with nothing but respect” and that “the UK expects the same”.

“A good relationship at the end of this process depends on it,” she said.

“While both sides want a deal, we have to face up to the fact that despite the progress we have made, there are two big issues where we remain a long way apart.”

Ms May reaffirmed the British government’s commitment to no hard border on the island of Ireland, saying they would “do everything in our power to prevent a return to hard border”.

Speaking as he attended the final day of the National Ploughing Championships, in Screggan, Co Offaly, Mr Varadkar said his Government will do “everything” to avoid a cliff-edge Brexit.

“We aren’t planning for a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland so there are no plans to release,” he said.

“The negotiations have certainly entered a rocky patch, but that is only going to cause us to redouble our efforts.”

Asked if backing Ms May into a corner was the right strategy to take by the EU, Mr Varadkar said: “Certainly there has been a lot of stuff in the press over the last couple of weeks which has been way off the mark, not the Irish press largely, but I think there was a sense created, perhaps in the UK press, that there was division around the table among the EU 27; there is not.

“The EU is totally united, not just united behind Ireland but united behind our desire to protect the integrity of our single market.

“Ultimately the problems that are being created for Britain and the British government are created as a consequence of Brexit and nobody in Europe or Ireland is to blame for that.”

Asked if Irish farmers would be paying tariffs on exports to Britain next year, Mr Varadkar said: “I really don’t think so.”

He said this would only arise in the case of a no-deal Brexit.

“I think we can have a deal, I think we are entering into a rocky patch over the next couple of weeks but I am determined to keep working to get that deal that we need before the end of the year, ideally in October, November.”

However, he said “permanent changes will take place” after the two-year transition period even if a deal is struck.

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