TANAISTE Simon Coveney has said a no-deal Brexit is “very unlikely now” but that predicting how tomorrow’s crunch Westminster vote on the new UK-EU deal ia “a dangerous game”.

He said he believes it will be “very close one way or another” and that the Irish government would strongly push for a extension to the October 31 Brexit deadline if the alternative is a crash-out.

Mr Coveney also sought to reassure unionists that there is “no threat to the constitutional status of Northern Ireland under the deal”.

And he disagreed with DUP leader Arlene Foster’s assessment that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson settled for a “one-sided” consent mechanism for plans for the Northern Ireland Assembly to decide whether or not to stay in the deal’s customs arrangements.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio One Mr Coveney said: “We don’t think it’s one-sided, that the democratic mechanism to maintain these arrangements in the future are on the basis of a simple majority.

“If you didn’t have a simple majority endorsing the continuation of these arrangements for Northern Ireland you’re essentially making the case that a minority of people in Northern Ireland should be determining the future for the majority.”

Mr Coveney said the that there has been an attempt to design a “best of both worlds scenario” for Northern Ireland where trade can continue with both the UK and EU without tariffs.

• Read More: Boris Johnson’s 24 hours to save Brexit deal as support crashes
  Read More: Kevin Doyle: ‘Everybody caved and compromised to help Johnson try to ‘get Brexit done”

He said this would be a “fantastic arrangement” for Northern Ireland.

Mr Coveney said of tomorrow’s House of Commons vote: “I think it will be very close one way or another” and that it will have “enormous consequences”.

He added: “Our job not to get involved in the politics of that or the party politics in Westminster. Our job is to negotiate the best deal possible from an Irish perspective, from an all-island perspective.

“That’s what we’ve done.”

Mr Coveney said there will still be a focus on preparing for a no-deal “just in case”.

“I think it’s far less likely now but we have to continue to make sure that if a set of circumstances were to conspire to result in a no deal we have to be ready for that.

“But I think that is very unlikely now.

He said also said that if the deal doesn’t get through Westminster and the choice is no-deal or an extension “the Irish government would strongly be advocating for an extension”.

He said this would “allow for a process to either put a new deal in place or something else – whether that’s as a result of a general election or indeed another people’s vote.”

Source: Read Full Article