Updated 18:05

The Tánaiste has admitted it will be “very difficult” to prevent a return to a hard border in Ireland if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal.

Simon Coveney was speaking after the European Commission’s chief spokesman said it was “pretty obvious” that a hard Brexit will lead to a hard border in Ireland.

Ireland, the UK and the EU have all said they are committed to ensuring the borders of the past do not re-emerge in Ireland – however, it remains unclear how it can be avoided with no sign of an end to the impasse ahead of the March 29th Brexit date.

Minister Coveney said the Government has no plans to erect border infrastructure regardless of what happens in the talks.

“The Irish Government will not support the re-emergence of border infrastructure on this island,” he said.

“We are not planning for it in ‘no-deal’ Brexit planning.

“But certainly, if we don’t have a Withdrawal Agreement, it becomes very, very difficult to prevent that.”

European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas speaks in Brussels | Image: © European Union

"Pretty obvious"

Earlier, European Commission spokesperson Margaritis Schinas sent shockwaves through Leinster House by warning that it may not be possible to avoid a hard border situation.

“If you look to push me and speculate on what might happen in a no-deal scenario in Ireland, I think it's pretty obvious: you will have a hard border,” he said.

“And our commitment to the Good Friday Agreement - and everything we have been doing for years with our tools, instruments and programmes - will have to take inevitably into account this fact.

“Of course we are for peace; of course we stand behind the Good Friday Agreement.

“But... I will not now speculate on this Plan B – because, as I said seconds ago, we are for Plan A - which is set by the Withdrawal Agreement and the political declaration as a package.”

"Alright on the night"

Speaking in the Dáil this evening, the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that, despite talk of ‘binning the backstop’ in the UK, no one has been able to come up with a viable alternative.

“Nobody else has done that yet,” he said.

“There is a reason why it took a year-and-a-half or two years to negotiate this backstop – because it is hard to do.

“We have done that and we can’t give that up in return for a promise that it will be alright on the night or a commitment just to sort it out over the next two years.”

Meanwhile, a Government spokesperson refused to rule out the possibility of Ireland ignoring an instruction from the EU to erect a hard border – noting: “That may involve difficult conversations at the time.”

Asked a Govt spokesperson if Ireland could ignore an instruction from the EU to put up a hard border with Northern Ireland if we end up in a no deal #Brexit scenario. He didn’t rule it out:

“That may involve difficult conversations at the time”

— Seán Defoe (@SeanDefoe) January 22, 2019

This afternoon, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said Mr Schinas' comments underscore the need to prepare for Irish unity.

"Yesterday, I called on the Government to convene an All-Ireland Forum to plan for a united Ireland and to build for Irish unity.

"Confirmation by the European Commission this morning that there will be a hard border on the island of Ireland in the event of a no-deal Brexit reinforces the need for that process to commence as soon as possible."

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald | File photo

"While nobody wants a crash Brexit, we must prepare for any and all eventualities.

"The Government must now face up to the reality that there will in fact be a hard border in Ireland in the absence of a withdrawal agreement and they need to assert that this is an entirely unacceptable situation for Ireland."

Good Friday Agreement

Tánaiste Simon Coveney has said the Government is committed to the entire withdrawal agreement - including the backstop - to ensure an open border.

While the British Prime Minister Theresa has said the Good Friday Agreement is not open to any re-negotiation.

It followed earlier reports that the deal could have been altered in order to alleviate fears over a backstop in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Reports over the weekend suggested Mrs May was looking for a bilateral treaty with Ireland that would have meant the backstop could have been left out of the withdrawal deal.

But speaking on Monday, she said: "All of us agree that as we leave the European Union we must fully respect the Belfast Agreement, and not allow the creation of a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland - nor indeed a border down the Irish Sea.

"And I want to be absolutely clear in the light of media stories this morning: this government will not re-open the Belfast Agreement, I have never even considered doing so and neither would I."

Additional reporting Sean Defoe and Michael Staines ...