Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

It is impossible to work out what will happen with regard to Brexit following the vote next week in the House of Commons. I was in Westminster last week talking to my colleague, Caroline Lucas, from the Green Party, who is involved in the People's Vote campaign. We support it while being respectful from a distance. I do not believe there can or should be any reopening of the deal that is on offer.

There is one variation I want to put to the Taoiseach as a possible addition to what is available or as a possibility the Taoiseach might consider. It is related to the Advocate General's advice that it is possible to stall Article 50. One alternative, if it becomes useful to use it, is to offer a backstop guarantee for the UK.

It could work in the following way. At the end of a transition period, should the UK decide at any stage to rejoin the European Union, we could commit to or try to get agreement among the European Union Council to that outcome without the usual strictures around having to join the currency or changing the voting system or any other such measures. We could give the UK a backstop guarantee such that if, at the end of the transition period, it is not working out, then the UK can rejoin easily, quickly and at no cost. That might give the UK some space or help the political situation. Lord knows how that will evolve in the coming weeks, but that may help as one of the options. Would the Taoiseach consider that? Would he share the idea with his European Union colleagues and consider putting forward the idea, if needs be, in the coming weeks?

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