FREE now SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Make the most of your money by signing up to our newsletter fornow We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Mr Raab said it would be “naive” to think there were not officials in the European Commission and on the island of Ireland that wanted to use the backstop to keep the UK closely aligned to the European Union after Brexit. Speaking in the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, Mr Raab said: “I think the substantive issue with the border is eminently solvable with goodwill, practical co-operation, technology ad the decentralised processes Michel Barnier referred to.

I think we would be naive to think that wasn’t part of the debate Dominic Raab

“I think there are certainly some in Dublin, some in Northern Ireland and certainly in the Commission who have seen this as an opportunity to choose the high-level alignment approach to the backstop to control the UK after Brexit. “I have absolutely no doubt that there are some voices for that and indeed it was regularly reported to me by the diplomatic channel, through our diplomats, that there were voices to that effect. “I think we would be naive to think that wasn’t part of the debate.” The former Brexit Secretary then referenced comments made by Mr Barnier in January in which he said the EU was drawing up measures to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland in the event of a no deal Brexit.

Brexit news: Dominic Raab said it would be "naive" to think EU are not using Irish border issue

Mr Raab said: “I do think there was a quite important shift from Michel Barnier on the 24th January when he said in relation to a no deal scenario, which none of us want or certainly I don’t want and I don’t think the EU side want, he said, and I quote, ‘we would be obliged in a no deal scenario in relation to the border, we would be obliged to carry out controls on goods arriving in the Republic of Ireland. “My team have worked hard to study how controls can be made paperless or decentralised which will be useful in all circumstances’. “And he later clarified that an operational way of carrying out checks and controls without putting back a border would have to be found." Mr Raab said he found the comments interesting because it emphasises how quickly the Irish border issue can be resolved. He said: “The reason I found this interesting was because you were talking about the end of the implementation period whether this could be done. “Michel Barnier is saying it could be done in a no deal scenario. If it can be done within two months then it must be possible to do it within two years.” Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will return to Brussels demanding changes to the controversial Irish border backstop proposal, which has remained to be the key sticking point for both the UK and EU throughout negotiations.