Irish prime minister goads Theresa May over US-Canada 'hard border'
2 min read
Ireland's prime minister has taken a fresh swipe at Theresa May over her plans for a "frictionless" border in Ireland after Brexit.
Leo Varadkar pointed out on Twitter that hi-tech checkpoints between the USA and Canada still represented a "hard border".
His tweet, during a visit to Canada, comes just days after the Government published its proposals for how to deal with the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland after the UK leaves the European Union.
British ministers have insisted that using groundbreaking technology would prevent the need to re-introduce checkpoints between the two countries.
They also conceded that it could mean EU nationals being able to freely enter the UK after Brexit via the Republic of Ireland.
The apparent dig came just hours after Mr Varadkar said he was "confused and puzzled" by the UK's Brexit approach.
He told Canadian TV: "What trade agreement does the United Kingdom want with the European Union?
"At the moment they have the best trade deal possible, the best one imaginable which is the customs union and access to the single European market and the European Economic Area.
"What they seem to be suggesting, all along really, from the last 14 months now is that they want to have all the advantages from being in the EU but none of the responsibilities and costs and that’s not a realistic position so we’re waiting to see what they would like to see."
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