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

I have no difficulties communicating with Prime Minister May. We meet periodically and speak on the phone. We will meet again the week after next, following my return from the United States, when we will both attend the EU Council in Brussels. As I said on "Morning Ireland", the negotiations that occur will do so between European Union, on the one hand, and the United Kingdom, on the other. There will be no negotiations between Britain and Ireland. We negotiate as part of the EU, as one of the 27 member states, led by the Barnier task force and we are stronger for that. The United Kingdom might be starting to understand that negotiating with a bloc ten times bigger than itself is not a strong position in which to be. We will not allow ourselves to be cleaved from the European Union and any negotiations that occur will take place between the European Union and the United Kingdom, with our input into the European Union's position. Over the past year or so, we have successfully ensured that Irish issues are Europe's issues and we have the unanimous support of Prime Ministers across the Union for our position. This was demonstrated most recently by Prime Minister Xavier Bettel from Luxembourg who visited Ireland on Monday.

That is not to say that we cannot talk bilaterally. It makes sense that the Irish Government should talk to the Government of the United Kingdom which, after all, is the Government next door. We discuss things such as the common travel area, for example, a bilateral arrangement that we have and that is recognised by the European Union, which allows us to travel freely, north-south, east-west, between Britain and Ireland. We want to keep talking about that so as to ensure that it is protected. We can discuss with the UK Government options and solutions for avoiding a hard border on the island and any physical infrastructure or any associated customs and checks. It is reasonable that we do this and we have a responsibility to do it. I do not want to be in a situation in a year's time whereby, despite everyone's best efforts, somehow we end up in a chaotic hard Brexit with no agreement. I want to be sure that the Government I lead does everything possible to avoid a hard border on our island. That is why it is appropriate that we should have discussions with the United Kingdom but talking about solutions and looking at options are not negotiations; the only negotiations can occur bilaterally between the EU and the UK.

I am also very conscious that there are so many people who live north of the Border who are Irish citizens and believe themselves to be Irish. That is why they cannot be left behind ever again and why we will move might and main and do all we can do as a Government to ensure it does not happen.

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