Brexit: Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness to meet Taoiseach

Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness are to meet Taoiseach Enda Kenny next Monday as the Northern Ireland Executive begins to draw up plans to deal with Britain and Northern Ireland withdrawing from the EU.

The Executive is also to meet tomorrow as Stormont Ministers try to establish the implications for Northern Ireland of last week's Brexit vote.

Senior civil servants are preparing briefing papers for the Ministers on what exiting the EU could mean for their departments.

DUP First Minister Ms Foster said yesterday she and the Deputy First Minister would meet Mr Kenny in Dublin on Monday to “commence discussions on the nature of our relationship going forward”.

Urgent meeting

She said she and Mr McGuinness had also spoken to British prime minister

David Cameron

and were seeking an urgent meeting with him in the coming weeks.

"We will act to represent the best interests of Northern Ireland," she said in the Northern Assembly during a debate on the referendum.

“The coming weeks and months will no doubt present many challenges to both the Deputy First Minister and myself but we have both made it clear that whatever the outcome of the referendum that we will work to do what is right for the people of Northern Ireland.”

The DUP was the only one of the North's five main parties to campaign for Brexit. Questions have been raised in the North about what quitting Europe might mean for farmers who are heavily subsidised by Europe. Other questions relate to foreign direct investment, Border controls and travel restrictions and a Border poll on a united Ireland in the coming years.

Stable government

While there were no direct answers to these questions during the debate, Ms Foster said she and Mr McGuinness were determined to provide stable government in Northern Ireland.

“The priority of the Executive will be to ensure that Northern Ireland’s interests are protected and advanced and that new opportunities are developed as part of any new arrangements,” she said.

Most people in Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU. The North's vote was 56-44 per cent in favour of staying.

Mr McGuinness said political leaders had a responsibility to ensure the vote to stay in the EU was “realised”.

“As political leaders we have to work together to give effect to the democratically expressed decision of the people to remain in the EU and to put the needs of all our people and economy across Ireland to the fore,” he said.