Varadkar for talks with Merkel, Macron amid vital week for Brexit process

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will discuss what the EU should do if British prime minister Theresa May cannot pass the Withdrawal Agreement in a final attempt when he meets the French and German leaders this week.

Today begins a vital week as the House of Commons holds further votes on Brexit options this evening, amid continuing chaos at Westminster.

There were informal contacts between Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney and Britain’s effective deputy prime minister David Lidington over the weekend, but the Irish Government remains in the dark about Mrs May’s intentions.

Officials say a key decision for Mrs May will be whether or not to pursue a softer Brexit, over the objections of a majority of her own MPs, if parliament votes for it.

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We cannot go back to a hard Border any more than Berlin could return to the Wall

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Mr Varadkar will travel to Paris tomorrow to meet the French president Emmanuel Macron, while the German chancellor Angela Merkel comes to Dublin on Thursday.

Sources with knowledge of preparations for the meetings say the leaders are likely to discuss what the EU should do if the UK does not ratify the Withdrawal Treaty before the April 12th deadline, and what the EU’s response should be if the British seek a shorter extension without European Parliament elections.

At the European Council summit in Brussels 10 days ago, EU leaders set Friday week as Brexit day if the UK does not ratify the Withdrawal Agreement. However, they also left the door open to a longer extension of article 50, delaying the UK’s exit, if the UK proposes another way forward.

However, EU leaders made clear if the UK is going to stay in the union after May 22nd, it would have to hold elections to the European Parliament – something Mrs May has been against.

Mr Macron and Dr Merkel are also likely to seek assurances on Irish preparations to deal with the border issue in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

The European Commission has made clear to Irish officials they do not want to see physical infrastructure at the Border but that Ireland will be expected to take steps to protect the customs union and single market by introducing checks on goods away from the Border.

There was division in Mrs May’s Cabinet this weekend, with 11 ministers signing a letter urging her to leave the EU without a deal next week, while others said they would resign if that option was pursued.