Simon Coveney accuses Nigel Dodds over Brexit interview

Simon Coveney said the Irish government was not being aggressive

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney has accused the DUP's deputy leader of using inflammatory language about Brexit.

Speaking to the Conservative Home website, Nigel Dodds said the Irish government had almost gone so far as to talk about annexing Northern Ireland.

On a visit to Londonderry, Mr Coveney rejected the claims.

"I think that's inflammatory language and it doesn't reflect the Irish government's position," he said.

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"We're not looking to use Brexit to promote any kind of constitutional change on the island of Ireland.

"And we've listened to all political parties in Northern Ireland and if some people want to paint that as taking an aggressive stance I think that's unfortunate, because it's not aggressive."

In his interview, for the Conservative Home website, Mr Dodds said: "Up to now Simon Coveney, the [Irish] Department of Foreign Affairs, have talked in very, very aggressive terms.

"They've talked about almost the annexation of Northern Ireland."

He added: "They're really in this to try to get the whole of the United Kingdom inside a customs union and a single market.

"But failing that, their secondary aim is that Northern Ireland should remain inside the Single Market and the Customs Union, and they've been quite explicit about that."