Latest: No return to hard border with North, insists Theresa May
British Prime Minister Theresa May has insisted there will be no return to a hard Border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, after Britain leaves the European Union, .
She made her comments at a press conference in Government Buildings in Dublin after talks on Brexit with Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
Mr Kenny backed Mrs May’s goal of securing a “friction-free” trading relationship with the European Union after Brexit.
Mrs May said the UK will remain a reliable partner for Ireland, adding that familial ties between the two countries are strong. She said there will be no “return to the borders of the past”.
She also reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to the Belfast Agreement and successor agreements.
The Taoiseach said helping Mrs May to agree a deal to keep UK-EU trade as close as possible would be an “absolute priority” for Ireland ahead of Brexit negotiations.
Setting out her strategy earlier this month, Ms May strongly hinted that Britain could leave the European customs union (CU), stating she wanted “frictionless” cross-border trade, but had an “open mind” on whether it should be done through associate membership or a new agreement.
Mr Kenny echoed her language, suggesting he would support the strategy during the divorce talks.
“Our two governments are agreed that a close and friction-free economic and trading relationship between the Untied Kingdom and the European Union, including Ireland, is in our very best interests,” he told a press conference.
“And as the UK prepares for its formal notification under Article 50, we want to see that these deep trading ties between our two countries are recognised and facilitated.
“That will continue to be an absolute priority for my government, not just in our discussions with the British government, but also with our EU partners, as we prepare for the negotiation process on the EU side of the table.”
Both Mr Kenny and Mrs May insisted they do not want to see a return to the “border of the past” between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
There have been suggestions that leaving the tariff-free CU could imperil the soft border and see the reintroduction of customs checks and controls unless an agreement can be reached.
Mrs May said staying fully in the CU would leave the UK unable to agree free trade deals with other countries from around the world, which she is aiming to do.
But she said she was working towards maintaining the border rules currently in place and stressed that Britain and Ireland had open borders “long before either of us were members of the European Union”.
“We have of course said we do not want to see a return to the border of the past - that isn’t just a phrase, actually it symbolises the sort of seamless, frictionless border that we want to see in the future,” the prime minister said.
“Of course there are elements of full membership of the customs union that would restrict our ability to trade and do trade agreements with other parts of the world.
“But I believe, and this is what we are working on, that we need to find a solution which enables us to have as seamless and frictionless a border as possible between Northern Ireland and Ireland so that we can continue to see the trade, the everyday movements, that we have seen up to now.
“And of course we also want to ensure that we carry on with the Common Travel Area, which was in existence long before either of us were members of the European Union or its predecessors.”
Enda Kenny says he has held frank and constructive talks with Theresa May on Brexit.
In a press briefing following talks this afternoon, the Taoiseach stressed the need to continue trade between Ireland and the UK and warned of the necessity to avoid a hard border with the North.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has landed in Dublin for discussions with Taoiseach Enda Kenny on the impact of Brexit, .
Mrs May arrived at Government Buildings shortly after 4.30pm for a full bilateral meeting with Mr Kenny amid great uncertainty as to what Brexit means for Ireland, North and South.
The two leaders are due to give a press conference after 6pm.
Theresa May arrives at Govt Buildings #iestaff pic.twitter.com/lcGTvngjc3
— Daniel McConnell (@McConnellDaniel) January 30, 2017
Earlier today, Mrs May travelled to Cardiff to meet leaders from the devolved assemblies to hear their views on Brexit.
Among those present was Northern Ireland's outgoing first minister Arlene Foster and the new Stormont Sinn Féin leader Michelle O'Neill.
Ms O'Neill said she told Mrs May that the government at Westminster should respect the vote of the people of the North and that it should be designated special status within the EU.
She also said she would be raising the issue with the Taoiseach and with EU political leaders.
The Kenny-May meeting was also overshadowed by the impact of US President Donald Trump's restrictions on entry to the US.
After it emerged several ministers here intend raising the issue at Cabinet tomorrow, Mr Kenny and Mrs May are expected to face questions on the controversy from the media in Dublin later.
