Brexit: Irish hope to lure firms leaving UK after vote

Ireland is poised to attract firms leaving the UK in the wake of the Brexit vote. Picture: John Devlin

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Daniel Mulhall said Brexit poses “very real challenges” for Ireland but the country is adopting a pragmatic approach and wants to benefit from “any upsides” from business moving away from the UK.

The told the Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee that Dublin has concerns about the impact of Brexit on trade, the border and the common travel area but is confident a deal could be struck to address those issues and preserve the close links between the two countries.

“We naturally seek to avail of any upsides from this situation, such as the possibility of attracting some of the economic activity that may need to find a post-Brexit location within the European Union,” Mr Mulhall said.

“This is a pragmatic response on the part of the Irish government to managing the downsides of Brexit and responding to the reality that some companies will feel a need to move.

“For those who do plan to move, we believe that Ireland is the best place for them to operate for we can provide an ideal setting with our highly educated, English-speaking population, a location within the EU single market, and an environment proven to be conducive to investment.”

Mr Mulhall said Ireland would be more affected by Brexit than any other EU member states.

“I believe it is widely recognised that Ireland will be uniquely affected by the UK’s exit from the EU. This is because of the special circumstances that apply to us, the fact is that we have the only land border with the UK.

“What’s more, Brexit will bring to an end a very productive Irish-UK relationship as EU partners, one that has served us well for 44 years. This is regrettable from our point of view.”

Mr Mulhall said neither Irish premier Enda Kenny nor Prime Minister Theresa May wanted a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, but acknowledged that “arrangements with regard to customs will be complicated to tie down”.

Mrs May has ruled out remaining a member of the single market and will seek a new customs arrangement rather than stay in the customs union.

Mr Mulhall stressed it is “essential that Brexit does not affect the Good Friday Agreement, and that the people of Northern Ireland can have confidence that this will be the case”.