Politics

Brexit will not be complete within two years, says Kenny

Transition deal ‘inevitable’ as process more difficult than allowed for in Lisbon Treaty

Enda Kenny with British prime minister Theresa May. The Taoiseach said “we have enough on our plates at the moment” without holding a Border poll. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/Reuters
Enda Kenny with British prime minister Theresa May. The Taoiseach said “we have enough on our plates at the moment” without holding a Border poll. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/Reuters
Fiach Kelly
Fri Nov 25 2016 - 20:11

It will be impossible to conclude Brexit negotiations within the two-year timeframe set down under EU rules, the Taoiseach has said.

Speaking in Cardiff, where he was attending a meeting of the British-Irish Council, Enda Kenny said a transition deal to allow Brexit to take place over a longer period was “inevitable”.

Under existing rules, Brexit must happen within two years of British prime minister Theresa May triggering article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the formal mechanism that allows a country to leave the EU.

Mrs May has said she will start this process by the end of March, meaning the UK must leave the EU by March 2019.

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The Taoiseach addressed reports arising from comments he made at a private Fine Gael fundraiser this week, in which he spoke about the possibility of a united Ireland.

“There is no intention of having a Border poll now,” he said. “There is no indication that a Border poll would succeed now. We have enough on our plates at the moment to deal with Brexit and the many challenges that arise from many other issues.

"What I did say in relation to Scotland, that if Scotland were to secede from the European Union and then apply to join, it would be a long and bureaucratic process for that to happen.

“If the people of the North and people of the South at some time in the future were to wish for a united Ireland, than the [Belfast] Agreement allows them access for that.”

Respect Belfast Agreement

Martin McGuinness, Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister, said that while he would like a united Ireland in the morning, the Belfast Agreement, which only allows for a Border poll if there was evidence a majority support it, must be respected.

Northern Ireland’s First Minister, Arlene Foster said: “Periodically this comes up, and I am sure Enda loves it coming up periodically.”

In response, the Taoiseach shook his head and said: “No, I don’t.”

Ms Foster said the Brexit vote in Northern Ireland, with 56 per cent of people opting to remain, should not be taken as a vote on anything other than the European Union.

“It will not surprise you to now that I don’t want a united Ireland in the morning,” she said, “and the test that is set down in the Belfast Agreement, there is no evidence that has been met.”