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Taoiseach confirms Theresa May to visit Dublin on Friday amid continuing Brexit impasse

Theresa May will visit Dublin on Friday, Leo Varadkar has confirmed. He was speaking after meetin...
Newstalk
Newstalk

15.20 6 Feb 2019


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Taoiseach confirms Theresa May...

Taoiseach confirms Theresa May to visit Dublin on Friday amid continuing Brexit impasse

Newstalk
Newstalk

15.20 6 Feb 2019


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Theresa May will visit Dublin on Friday, Leo Varadkar has confirmed.

He was speaking after meeting European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels.

Both men again stressed that the Brexit backstop is not open for renegotiation.

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The British Prime Minister is due to travel to Brussels tomorrow to meet with European leaders amid the continuing Brexit impasse.

Mr Juncker insisted the EU "can't reopen the discussion" on the backstop - adding that Theresa May knows the Commission isn't prepared to reopen the issue.

Meanwhile, the Taoiseach said: "I'll be meeting Prime Minister May... she'll be coming to Dublin on Friday evening, and we'll have dinner together.

"It's an opportunity as well to discuss the situation and work together to chart a way forward."

Mrs May's trip to Dublin will come only days after she visited Northern Ireland, during which she reaffirmed her commitment to avoiding a hard border in Ireland.

"We will stay united on this matter"

Leo Varadkar and Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels today. Picture by: Francisco Seco/AP/Press Association Images

In a joint statement after their meeting, Mr Juncker and Mr Varadkar repeated that the withdrawal agreement remains the "best and only possible deal".

They said: "The backstop is an integral part of the Withdrawal Agreement. 

"While we hope the backstop will not need to be used, it is a necessary legal guarantee to protect peace and to ensure there will be no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland, while protecting the integrity of our Single Market and the Customs Union."

The statement adds: "The backstop is not a bilateral issue, but a European one. Ireland's border is also the border of the European Union and its market is part of the Single Market.  We will stay united on this matter."

Earlier, the European Council President called on Theresa May to bring a "realistic suggestion" for moving the Brexit process forward when she arrives in Brussels tomorrow.

He also lashed out at politicians who supported Brexit in the run-up to the 2016 referendum - without knowing what it would involve.

Mrs May will meet with EU leaders after MPs called on her to seek "alternative arrangements" to the backstop - although they have yet to specify what form such arrangements would take.


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