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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said people who advocated for Brexit have been \u201cchasing unicorns\u201d for a \u201cvery long time\u201d.<\/p>\nTaoiseach Leo Varadkar has said people who advocated for Brexit have been \u201cchasing unicorns\u201d for a \u201cvery long time\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Taoiseach made the comments to media in the US on Wednesday while MPs at Westminster prepared to vote on whether they are prepared for the UK to leave the European Union without a deal.<\/p>\n
As part of his annual St Patrick\u2019s Day visit, Mr Varadkar attended a lunch at the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington DC.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we head into the next few weeks it should be blatantly obvious that unicorns only exist in fairy tales,\u201d he told media at the event.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say to people who advocated Brexit \u2013 is this really what they wanted? Protectionism, borders, tariffs, restrictions on trade.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs this really what Brexit was all about? And for those who voted against the Withdrawal Agreement on the basis that they feared that Northern Ireland would be treated differently as a result of the backstop, it must be evident to them now that it\u2019s the UK Government\u2019s intention to treat Northern Ireland differently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Addressing the UK\u2019s tariff proposals in the event of a no-deal Brexit, Mr Varadkar said Northern Ireland will become a back door to the European single market.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think the UK\u2019s proposals will be workable for very long. They propose to treat Northern Ireland differently from the rest of the UK,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthern Ireland will become a back door to the European single market and I think that in a matter of months that will lead to the need for checks at Northern Ireland\u2019s ports.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo those that opposed the agreement may find that something very akin to the backstop is applied by the UK Government in a few weeks\u2019 time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar also said that in the event of a no-deal Brexit the European customs code will apply to goods exported from the UK to the EU.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat will obviously have a severe impact on the UK economy and the Northern Ireland economy in particular.<\/p>\n
\u201cWestminster can take the no deal off the table this evening, and if they do so then there is the potential to look at alternatives, for example the UK staying in the customs union.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar added that Ireland has been preparing for a no-deal Brexit scenario for a long time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are well placed to deal with any shock that may arise from a no-deal (Brexit),\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that we have a budget surplus means that we can borrow if we have to to support our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Taoiseach started his program of engagements on Wednesday at the US Chamber of Commerce with Enterprise Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland.<\/p>\n
He also attended a round table meeting with Enterprise Ireland chief executive Julie Sinnamon and senior Irish executives, some of whom will be announcing new investments in the US.<\/p>\n
There are more than 520 Irish companies operating at 954 locations across all 50 US states, employing more than 100,000 American workers.<\/p>\n
The US Bureau of Economic Analysis calculated the value of Irish direct investment in the US at 146.6 billion dollars (\u20ac129 billion) in 2017, ranking Ireland as the ninth largest source of foreign direct investment.<\/p>\n