Irish PM Leo Varadkar admits a no deal Brexit is an ‘existential’ threat to his country – but Garda deny secret plans to send 600 cops to border
Leo Vardakar has today warned that a no-deal Brexit poses an existential threat to Ireland.
The Irish PM said the EU helped secure peace in the region – which was scarred by bloody violence for decades – by keeping the Irish border open.
And he raised the spectre that the sectarian violence which saw thousands killed in The Troubles could return after Brexit.
His stark warning comes as Irish police chiefs in the Garda denied reports they have drawn up secret plans to send 600 officers to the border if there is a no-deal.
Speaking at Davos today, Mr Varadkar said: ‘Often when I talk about Brexit outside of Ireland, people talk about it as if it’s a trade deal, as if it’s about trade and jobs and the economy and migration’, Varadkar said in an interview .
‘All those things are important but this is different for Ireland, this is existential.
‘We’ve had 20 years of peace in Ireland, increased North-South co-operation, and the foundation for all of that was the European Union.
‘That’s why for us this is a very different question. This is at a different level for us.’
But the DUP – the Northern Irish unionist Party – urged Mr Varadkar to dial down the rhetoric during these febrile political atmosphere.
Nigel Dodds, the DUP’s deputy leader, said: ‘We want the 2016 referendum result to be honoured and leave the European Union through a sensible deal which works for every part of the United Kingdom and also our neighbours in the Republic of Ireland.
‘I reject Leo Varadkar’s analysis. It is not a constructive contribution when we are focused on trying to reach a consensus.
‘In any case, the Taoiseach’s comments about the Belfast Agreement actually ride a coach and horses through that Agreement.