Ireland confirms Brexit trade deal is ‘very doable’ after dropping No Deal talk

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IRELAND has dropped talk of a No Deal and now insists there is a good chance a trade pact can be done.

Its foreign minister Simon Coveney said overcoming the obstacles was “very doable”.

Ireland’s foreign minister Simon Coveney said a Brexit trade deal was ‘very doable’

He played down Boris Johnson’s move to overwrite parts of last year’s Brexit deal in a softening of Dublin’s attacks on No 10.

Mr Coveney added the PM’s concerns would “become irrelevant” once a deal was done. He said: “The incentive is there. We know what the outstanding issues are and they are not insurmountable.”

Dublin now says the easiest way to solve the row over a hard border between Britain and the Republic would be a free trade deal without barriers.

Earlier this week, Irish PM Micheal Martin warned talks were heading for failure because of the dispute. It came as UK chief Brexit negotiator David Frost was urged to remain steadfast in haggling with the EU over access to our waters.

The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations said taking them back was a litmus test of UK sovereignty.

Britain and Norway yesterday agreed a deal on fishing access which No 10 hopes to mirror in the EU negotiations.

A compromise floated by the UK to phase out EU fishing quotas over three years met with a frosty reception.

Irish PM Micheal Martin had warned Brexit talks were heading for failure

One diplomat said anything other than the status quo was “inconceivable”.

Car makers, meanwhile, said they feared some parts would face tariffs even if there was a deal after Mr Frost confirmed Brussels has rejected the UK proposals to keep global supply chains.

A Whitehall source said: “We continue to hope in the end game of these talks the EU will show us a more reasonable position.”

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