Block on east-west border ‘non-negotiable’, says Hammond
British Chancellor rejects suggestion his visit to North is to distract from London conference
British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond (second left) meets local MPs and business leaders during his visit to the Magee campus of Ulster University in Derry. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire
Preventing an “east-west border” between Northern Ireland and Britain is as non-negotiable for the UK in the Brexit talks as avoiding a “North-South” Border is for the EU, Britain’s chancellor of the exchequer has said.
During a rare visit to the North, Mr Hammond said he did not agree with Tánaiste Simon Coveney’s view that the British government could not afford a “no deal Brexit”.