No return to Irish border posts, UK government insists

A document to be published by the British government will lay out a 'seamless and frictionless border' between the North and the Republic
A document to be published by the British government will lay out a 'seamless and frictionless border' between the North and the Republic

Britain is promising the Irish Government there will be no 'hard border' after Brexit, after rising tensions between the two governments.

A document to be published by the British government will lay out a 'seamless and frictionless border' between the North and the Republic.

It will outline the official stance that there will be 'no return to the hard borders of the past.'

Goods and people passing the Irish border is one of the key issues the European Commission has insisted must be resolved early.

The document will also dismiss any suggestion of a customs border on the Irish Sea.

It comes after both the Taoiseach and foreign affairs minister had floated the idea in the first place, leaving Irish hopes severely dashed.

'Completely unacceptable'

A British government source said: "As Michel Barnier himself has said, the solution cannot be based on a precedent so we’re looking forward to seeing the EU's position paper on Ireland.

"But it's right that as we shape the unprecedented model, we have some very clear principles.

"Top of our list is to agree upfront no physical border infrastructure – that would mean a return to the border posts of the past and is completely unacceptable to the UK."

The Ulster Farmers’ Union says the movement of goods, and access to labour across the border, after Brexit are key concerns for farmers and dairy processors.

UFU dairy chairman William Irvine said Northern Ireland’s unique situation and the complexities of what will be a land border between the UK and EU are well recognised.

“A large number of dairy farmers here are members of co-ops in the South. Clearly, there are strong links between farmers here and processors south of the border, and indeed vice versa.

“This applies to other sectors as well as dairy, and we were encouraged that the will seems to exist in Brussels for a soft border.”