Enda Kenny insists Government has plan for Brexit fallout

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has rejected a Sinn Féin claim the Government has no plan to deal with the fallout from the UK Brexit referendum.

He told the party’s deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald that she was wrong in claiming the Government’s response was a one-day conference of interested groups next month.

“It is the first in a series of meetings that will deal with all of the issues,’’ he said.

Ms McDonald claimed Mr Kenny had been very "flat-footed'' on the issues involved.

“The referendum result has been known for months, but we have yet to see any meaningful propositions coming from the Taoiseach or his Ministers in the intervening period on the key issues and significant consequences for the island, North and South,’’ she said.

Northern citizens

Ms McDonald said she was glad the Taoiseach acknowledged last week Northern citizens voted to remain within the European Union. “We need for him to advocate for their will to remain,’’ she added.

Mr Kenny said the Government’s plan was well advanced and he would brief the Opposition party leaders later in the day to give them the chronology of all that was done in advance of the referendum and since.

“There is a lot more work going on here than you realise,’’ he added.

Ms McDonald said if the British prime minister, Theresa May, had assured the Taoiseach about there being "no hard Brexit and no hard Border", she had clearly changed her mind.

Mr Kenny said Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire had repeated at the Tory party conference yesterday there would be no return to a hard Border.