Fury over Irish demands for a new SEA border between Northern Ireland and Britain after Brexit
Whitehall was left stunned by negative shift in tone from Dublin as it threatens Theresa May's Brexit negotiations
LEADING MPs slammed the Irish prime minister today after he called for a sea border between Britain and Ireland after Brexit.
Leo Varadkar said the only way to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic was to introduce checks for anyone travelling between Ireland and the mainland UK.
But DUP bosses were scathing about his claims - insisting the proposed arrangement "is just not going to happen" and saying Ireland needs a "reality check".
In a surprising shift in tone, new Taoiseach Leo Varadkar insisted the UK's post-Brexit border proposals threaten the Northern Ireland peace process.
Dublin wants to see border checks between the UK and the Republic carried out in ports and airports across the island rather than on the currently soft land frontier, The Times reports.
That would allow goods and people to move freely between Northern Ireland and the Republic - but they would then face immigration and customs checks when they went to England, Scotland or Wales.
The British Government had previously suggested using tech wizardry to strengthen the land border without having to install controversial and economically damaging checkpoints.
At an EU summit in Brussels last week, Ireland's foreign minister Simon Coveney told European counterparts that the Republic "cannot and will not" accept a hard border.
In a scathing rebuke, he added: “What we do not want to pretend is that we can solve the problems of the border on the island of Ireland through technical solutions like cameras and pre-registration and so on.
"That is not going to work.
"Any barrier or border on the island of Ireland in my view risks undermining a very hard-won peace process and all of the parties in Northern Ireland, whether they are unionist or nationalist, recognise that we want to keep the free movement of people and goods and services and livelihoods.”
Ian Paisley Jr, a DUP MP, said today that the plan for a border between Northern Ireland and Britain would backfire on Dublin leaders.
He tweeted: "One of two things will now happen 1. A very hard border 2. Ireland will wise up and leave the EU."
Veteran unionist Jeffrey Donaldson vowed to oppose the suggestion using the DUP's influence on Theresa May.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We would be strongly opposed to the idea that you create a border in the Irish Sea between the island of Ireland of Great Britain - that's just not going to happen.
"Why on earth would we want to create a customs arrangement between this part of the United Kingdom and the rest of the United Kingdom?
"That just isn't going to be the outcome, and I think the Taoiseach needs to get a reality check on this.
"Dublin is being too pessimistic and I suspect that behind this there's a little bit of politics going on which is unhelpful."
Pointing to the close economic links between Ireland and the UK, the MP added: "The Irish Republic needs to be very careful about that kind of talk.
"There is a market of 60million on its doorstep, is it really going to turn its back and put a border down the middle of the Irish Sea with its most successful market?"
Nigel Dodds, the party's deputy leader, accused Mr Varadkar of trying to look tough ahead of possible upcoming elections in Ireland.
He said in a statement: "The DUP will not tolerate a border on the Irish Sea after Brexit that makes it more difficult to live, work and travel between different parts of the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister has already reiterated this.
"At Westminster we will continue to use the influence of our 10 MPs to ensure that respect for the integrity of the UK remains at the core of the negotiations process."
Mr Dodds added: "This is not the first time the Irish Government has played high wire politics with the challenges facing Northern Ireland.
"I would strongly urge the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to rethink his current stance, stop playing to his own audience, and approach all of these issues with a new spirit of cooperation."
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The DUP has a strong influence on the Government because Mrs May's majority is reliant on votes from the ten unionist MPs.
They would almost certainly seek to veto any Brexit deal which involved border controls within the UK.
Mr Varadkar later insisted it was not up to Ireland to work out arrangements for the post-Brexit border.
He said: "What we're not going to do is to design a border for the Brexiteers because they're the ones who want a border.
"It's up to them to say what it is, say how it would work and first of all convince their own people, their own voters that this is actually a good idea.
"As far as this Government is concerned there shouldn't be an economic border. We don't want one."
A Whitehall source played down the spat, telling The Times: “There is a new Taoiseach and a new foreign minister and they’re stamping their authority.
"We’re being as positive as we can but it’s true to say that their attitude has hardened.”