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TÁNAISTE AND MINISTER for Foreign Affairs has criticised a senior Tory Brexiteer, who claimed that the Irish border could be subject to inspections “just like during the Troubles”.

A video shared widely on social media shows Jacob Rees-Mogg saying that the issue of the Irish border after Brexit could be solved by continuing “historic arrangements”.

He said that Ireland would “not be a free for all”, even if no agreement is reached on trade and customs arrangement between the UK and EU.

The Brexit talks have been stuck for quite some time on a set of fundamental issues, including how a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland will be avoided and the future trading relationship between the UK and EU.

The MP for north-east Somerset said: “It would be possible to continue with historic arrangements to ensure there wasn’t a great loophole in the way people could get into the UK to leave us in just as bad a position as we are in.

There would be our ability, as we had during the Troubles, to have people inspected. It’s not a border that everyone has to go through every day. But of course for security reasons during the Troubles we kept a very close eye on the border to try stop gun running and things like that.

It’s not inconsistent to have a border that people pass through that you’re keeping an eye on.

These comments drew a withering response from Minister Coveney.

He said: “It’s hard to believe that a senior politician is so ill-informed about Ireland and the politics of the #Brexit Irish border issue that he could make comments like these.

We have left “the Troubles” behind us, through the sincere efforts of many, and we intend on keeping it that way.

Rees-Mogg has become increasingly influential within the Conservative party since the Brexit vote, but has no cabinet post in Theresa May’s government.

He has repeatedly been in the headlines for his extremely hardline stance on Brexit.

Negotiations continued this week between the UK and EU, with October or November the latest a deal could be reached before the UK leaves in March 2019.