Brexit: Ireland says UK cannot afford to leave EU with no deal and dismisses Theresa May's threats as 'bravado'

'The truth is that I don’t believe Britain can afford to have no deal on Brexit'

The Irish government has dismissed Theresa May’s threat to crash out of the EU without a deal if necessary as “bravado”, insisting the damage to the UK would be too great.

Simon Coveney, Dublin’s deputy prime minister, instead urged Britain to delay Brexit if the talks remain deadlocked – offering to press for an extension to the Article 50 deadline.

The UK government has insisted its threat of no deal is genuine – even revealing plans for the stockpiling of food, medicines and blood ahead of exit day next March.

But Mr Coveney said: “I have heard a lot of comment on this issue in recent weeks and, to be honest with you, I think some of it is bravado.

“The truth is that I don’t believe Britain can afford to have no deal on Brexit. I don’t believe that Ireland and the EU want that either.”

He added: “The negative implications of a no deal Brexit are very significant for Ireland and for the United Kingdom. We all have an obligation to make sure that that does not happen.”

Speaking ahead of talks in London, Mr Coveney, who is also foreign affairs minister, again insisted Dublin would not back down on ensuring the UK met its commitments to avoid a hard border in Ireland.

But he also urged Ms May to recognise that “Ireland is one of Britain’s big allies in these negotiations”.

And, asked if the Irish government would push the rest of the EU to extend Article 50, to avoid a no deal next year, he replied: “Absolutely.

“If Britain asks for more time, and if that’s necessary to get to a sensible agreement, then we would support that - of course we would.”

The government has said it will issue a series of “technical notices” in the coming months, designed to prepare the public and businesses for a no deal exit in just eight months’ time.

Dominic Raab, the Brexit secretary, said one would cover ensuring “adequate food supply” – while the health secretary, Matt Hancock, said hospitals would be “stockpiling medicines, medical devices and substances of human origin”.

At the weekend, Mr Raab was forced to partially retract a claim that the Bank of England believes the EU will be hit harder by a no-deal Brexit – admitting it referred only to one aspect of financial services.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned the overall UK economy would suffer far more than the EU's - losing 4 per cent of national output, compared with 1.5 per cent across the Channel.

With the clock ticking, support is growing to extend the two-year Article 50 process instead, but this would require the unanimous support of all other 27 EU countries.

Brussels officials have suggested this might only be given to create space for a further referendum, giving British voters the option to stay in the EU.

The Independent today launches its campaign for that fresh public vote, arguing that only giving the people the final say can resolve the current “chaos”