Wales’ first minister, Carwyn Jones, has warned that politicians and business leaders in the Irish Republic have “serious concerns” the UK is heading towards a hard Brexit. In Dublin for talks, Carwyn Jones said: “Nobody wants it but they have no faith in politicians being able to avoid it”.
He said he saw “no examples” of a system free of border checks outside of a customs union.
“It’s one thing to aspire to something… it’s another thing for it actually to happen,” he said.
As reported by the BBC, Jones warned that a “hard maritime border” between Wales and Ireland would be a “real threat” to both economies.
Wales exported £955m worth of goods to the Irish Republic in the 12 months to June 2017 and Irish businesses support about 11,000 jobs in Wales.
“I don’t want to see a hard border on the island of Ireland but neither do I want to see customs posts at Welsh ports,” he said.
In other related news, the Irish Examiner noted that officials in Ireland will discuss a report that warns Brexit could cause as much damage as the economic crash.
The study by Copenhagen Economics, quoted in today’s Irish Times, claims the economy could be 7% smaller in 2030 than it would have been without Brexit.
It is the latest in a line of reports and Fianna Fail’s Stephen Donnelly says we need to see real action on the ground.
“Fianna Fáil is calling on the Government this week to stop dithering on the domestic response to Brexit,” he said. “Fianna Fáil has supported the Government’s international efforts on Brexit but domestically, the Government has done next to nothing. We have a report which will now be seen by the cabinet showing the potentially catastrophic effects.”
