Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government of the United Kingdom - and the United Kingdom - has given the people of Ireland and Northern Ireland a commitment that Brexit, which is its policy, will not result in a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. We have come up with the solution. We have it in the withdrawal agreement plus the backstop. That is how we avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. It is now for those who have rejected that solution to honour their commitment to us that there will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland by coming up with an alternative solution that does exactly what it needs to do. The ball is now very much in their court. I do not believe they will be able to come up with an alternative solution. I do not believe they will be able to come up with something that departs very differently from what has been agreed, unless they fundamentally change their red lines in relation to the customs union and the Single Market.

We stand by the withdrawal agreement. We stand by the backstop. Westminster has rejected it.

It is now up to Westminster to come together to develop a solution to what it believes is a Brexit it can pass through the House of Commons. Whatever it comes up with must be acceptable to the European Union and Ireland.

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