The President of the European Commission has declared that "we don’t want hard borders between Northern Ireland and the Republic", after talks with Taoiseach Enda Kenny in Brussels.

Jean-Claude Juncker said that the EU and Ireland would "work closely together" to minimise the impact of Brexit, and ensure that the "important" Good Friday Agreement was not put at risk.

“There should not be a return to a hard border and there won’t be,” Kenny agreed, as he expressed his desire for “the closest possible relationship between the UK and the EU". 

Meanwhile, Kenny also stated that he wants to see the Brexit deal include the language of the Good Friday Agreement so as to grant Northern Ireland "ease of access" for a return to the EU – in the event of a united Ireland "at some future time, whenever that might be..."