Hard Brexit would prompt unification discussion: Irish PM

Ireland's Prime Minister says the issue of unifying Ireland and British-ruled Northern Ireland will come up if Britain leaves the European Union (EU) without a divorce deal on October 31.

Leo Varadkar also said a hard Brexit would not fare well for Scotland’s place in the United Kingdom.

The Democratic Unionist Party, Northern Ireland’s largest pro-British party, responded strongly to the comment, saying they were “unhelpful and unnecessarily aggressive.”

Varadkar said a move to publicly plan for a united Ireland would be seen as a provocative "step" by pro-British unionists in Northern Ireland.