Any EU 27 country that vetoed the UK's request to delay Brexit "wouldn't be forgiven", the Irish prime minister has said.

Leo Varadkar said if a country vetoed an extension it would cause hardship to Ireland and other EU countries.

The UK is set to leave the EU on 12 April without a deal, because Westminster has been unable to agree the withdrawal agreement put forward by Prime Minister Theresa May.

Mrs May has asked the EU for an extension to 30 June as she tries to thrash out a deal with Labour which she hopes she can get through parliament.

Any extension has to be agreed unanimously by EU leaders of each member country.


Mr Varadkar told Irish broadcaster RTE: "If one country was to veto an extension and, as a result, impose hardship on us, real problems for the Dutch and Belgians and French as neighbouring countries ... they wouldn't be forgiven for it and they would know they might find themselves on the other end of that veto power in the future - so it is extremely unlikely that I could see any country vetoing it."

Suggesting his own preference would be for a longer extension than the 30 June date proposed by the UK, Mr Varadkar said the European Council was working unanimously to agree Brexit and a veto is rarely exercised.

Image: Theresa May is trying to forge a deal with Jeremy Corbyn and has asked for an extension to 30 June

But he said there was increasing frustration in some EU countries that Brexit continues to dominate the agenda.

He said: "Because nobody wants a no deal, I think the likelihood is an extension. But what we want to avoid is an extension that just allows for more indecision and more uncertainty.

"So I'd prefer to see a longer extension during which the United Kingdom has more time to decide really what future relationship it wants to have with the European Union, rather than the alternative, which could be rolling extensions every couple of weeks, or every couple of months."

In a no-deal scenario, Mr Varadkar said the "logical" way to ensure a free-flowing border between the Republic and Northern Ireland would be for regulatory checks to take place at sea ports in Belfast and Larne.

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Asked how likely it is one country could veto an extension, he said: "To wield the veto is something that is rarely done.

"I'm nearly two years now representing Ireland at the European Council and I have never seen the veto used once."

European Council president Donald Tusk has recommended a longer postponement of one year, with a break clause in case of earlier ratification in a so-called "flextension" deal.

France has demanded a plan from Mrs May that has "clear and credible political backing".

Mrs May already obtained one extension to the Article 50 process, postponing the date of Brexit from 29 March to 12 April.