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

As the Deputy knows, either would require legislation. I would not wish to see or support a return to direct rule. Nor would I see any purpose being served by another election. That is why I do not wish to contemplate either of those outcomes being the case.

Deputy McDonald asked about the UK changing its mind on the customs union. I suppose I was expressing an aspiration. She may remember that a similar aspiration was expressed by President Tusk when he suggested that he may be a dreamer but he is not the only one. When it comes to these things, it is important to hope for the best and to work towards the best outcome but also to prepare for the worst. We are doing both. Given the tight parliamentary arithmetic that exists at Westminster, anything could happen in the next number of months. We need to be cognisant of that too.

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