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The T\u00e1naiste has warned that a no-deal Brexit will \u201cdevastate\u201d the Northern Irish economy.<\/p>\nThe T\u00e1naiste has warned that a no-deal Brexit will \u201cdevastate\u201d the Northern Irish economy.<\/p>\n
Simon Coveney said in a newspaper column that Dublin\u2019s priority since the Brexit referendum has been maintaining peace on the island.<\/p>\n
He also noted Brexit was a sovereign matter for Britain, as was Ireland\u2019s decision to remain in the bloc.<\/p>\n
\u201cNevertheless, if Britain decides to leave without a deal it would cause huge damage to us all,\u201d Mr Coveney wrote in The Sunday Times.<\/p>\n
Leaving Brussels without a deal would hit Northern Ireland particularly hard, he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cA no-deal Brexit will devastate the Northern Irish economy with tariffs and rules that will fundamentally disrupt the all-island economy upon which so much progress has been built.\u201d<\/p>\n
Britain\u2019s prime minister after Wednesday would need to understand that the backstop aspect of Brexit was agreed to protect the Good Friday Agreement, Mr Coveney said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Withdrawal Agreement is a balanced document that deals with the interests of all parties and is not something that is up for renegotiation.\u201d<\/p>\n
In May, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn met in Dublin and shared their \u201cserious concerns\u201d about a no-deal Brexit scenario and its \u201cinherent dangers\u201d.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for Mr Varadkar said the pair \u201cconsidered Brexit, with both sides sharing serious concerns about a no-deal scenario and its inherent dangers, including the possibility that the UK may end up in a no-deal situation by default unless alternatives are pursued\u201d.<\/p>\n
Last month, members of the Westminster Foreign Affairs Committee were warned of the danger to Northern Ireland of a no-deal Brexit \u2013 including the potential for further violence \u2013 during a meeting with local groups and political representatives in Armagh.<\/p>\n
In July, Sinn F\u00e9in president Mary Lou McDonald urged the government to start preparing for a border poll as the risk of a disorderly Brexit increased.<\/p>\n
Ms McDonald said a referendum on Irish unity could happen \u201cvery quickly\u201d if the UK crashed out of the EU at the end of October.<\/p>\n