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The Government has dismissed reports of a breakthrough in the Brexit negotiations as \u201cspeculation\u201d.<\/p>\nThe Government has dismissed reports of a breakthrough in the Brexit negotiations as \u201cspeculation\u201d.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the Government said \u201cno agreement\u201d has been reached on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and that \u201cnothing had been confirmed\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said officials in Dublin had not been formally notified of a deal being reached in Brussels.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re at a stage where there is still no agreement at this point in time,\u201d the spokesman said on Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n
There is actually no agreement. At the moment this is only speculation<\/p>\n
The comments were made following reports this afternoon of a breakthrough in the talks between EU and UK negotiators.<\/p>\n
The deal will be the focus of a crunch Cabinet meeting at Downing Street on Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
British Cabinet ministers were invited to read the papers relating to the draft deal on Tuesday night ahead of the special meeting of Theresa May\u2019s senior team \u201cto decide on next steps\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Government spokesperson described the situation as \u201cfast-moving\u201d.<\/p>\n
He confirmed the Irish position on the backstop had not changed, adding that \u201ca number of issues were outstanding\u201d.<\/p>\n
In another sign that Dublin may not be happy, a spokesman for T\u00e1naiste Simon Coveney said: \u201cNegotiations between the EU and UK on a withdrawal agreement are ongoing and have not concluded.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also said a \u201cnumber of issues are outstanding\u201d, adding that negotiations were at an \u201cextremely sensitive\u201d juncture.<\/p>\n
Members of Ireland\u2019s opposition gave a cautious welcome to the reported deal.<\/p>\n
Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin said any agreement needed to ensure there was \u201ca permanent backstop to protect a borderless Ireland\u201d.<\/p>\n
Fianna Fail\u2019s Brexit spokeswoman Lisa Chambers said the detail was important.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to see the text, we need to see exactly what has been agreed, what are the implications for the border issue, for trade,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ms Chambers added that a deal that included the UK staying within the customs union would be the best outcome for Ireland because east-west trade was \u201cso important\u201d.<\/p>\n
Independent TD Thomas Pringle said he needed to see the details before commenting because it could have \u201cpotentially very negative effects for the border if it\u2019s wrong\u201d.<\/p>\n
Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s David Cullinane said: \u201cWe\u2019ve always said that the backstop and the insurance policy which has to be put in place for Ireland has to be long term, has to be durable, has to be permanent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has to give protection to the people of Ireland that we need, which is to avoid a hardening of the border to protect the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts and to protect the rights of citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier in the D\u00e1il, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar would not comment on reports that a text had been agreed taking into account the Irish border question.<\/p>\n
Minutes after reports of a deal emerged, Mr Varadkar would not answer questions from Fianna F\u00e1il, Sinn F\u00e9in or the Labour Party on the matter.<\/p>\n
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Meanwhile, political leaders in Northern Ireland have given a cautious welcome to a deal being agreed in the Brexit negotiations.<\/p>\n
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood welcomed reports that the UK and EU had agreed a text on the border in Ireland, but he said any agreement must include a backstop.<\/p>\n
Mr Eastwood said: \u201cThe SDLP are glad to hear that an agreement might have been reached and we look forward to reading the text of that agreement in detail.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the agreement involves a backstop that protects Ireland from a hard border then we would hope it will gain support in Westminster.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann said there must not be any \u201cambiguity\u201d about Northern Ireland\u2019s place in a post-Brexit UK.<\/p>\n
Mr Swann said the next 24 to 48 hours in the negotiations would set \u201cthe direction of travel for Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom for decades to come\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bottom line for the Prime Minister, the Conservative Government and their partners in the DUP must be the achievement of a sensible deal which respects the result of the referendum and maintains the integrity of the United Kingdom,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere must be no ambiguity, constructive or otherwise, in any deal about Northern Ireland\u2019s place within the Union in a post-Brexit UK.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo do otherwise would be a serious blow against the Belfast Agreement and the principle of consent and will set a dangerous precedent for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said that the deal as reported would leave Northern Ireland \u201csubject to the rules and laws set in Brussels with no democratic input or any say\u201d.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cWe object to that on constitutional grounds that our laws would be made in Brussels, not in Westminster or Belfast.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is the fundamental red line.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Dodds added that any regulatory checks between the UK and Northern Ireland \u201cwould certainly be a breach of the PM\u2019s pledges to the people of Northern Ireland (and) the pledges that she made to the people of the United Kingdom\u201d.<\/p>\n
Alliance Deputy Leader Stephen Farry described reports of an agreement as \u201cencouraging\u201d but he expressed \u201ccaution\u201d on a number of grounds ahead of any publication of an agreed text.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn open-ended backstop in place until or unless it is superseded is critical to protect the Good Friday Agreement and to avoid a hard border in Ireland,\u201d Mr Farry said.<\/p>\n
He added that it was important people were \u201cmeasured\u201d in their reaction to the backstop and do not contribute further to \u201cunnecessary dramatizing of something that should be seen in pragmatic terms\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cUltimately, the backstop is only an insurance approach to Brexit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no such thing as a good or sensible Brexit.\u201d<\/p>\n