IRELAND’S EU commissioner Phil Hogan piled on the pressure on Britain yesterday to stay in the EU single market, using the threat of a “hard border” with the North of Ireland if it left.

Mr Hogan’s comments came after Tory coalition partner the DUP said it would not tolerate a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic — as threatened by Brussels if Britain leaves the single market.

He said it was a “very simple fact” that “if the UK or Northern Ireland remained in the EU customs union, or better still the single market, there would be no border issue.”

Mr Hogan claimed it was “simply not understood” by the British that even the “best possible” free trade agreement with the EU would “fall far short of being in the single market.”

Ireland’s intervention comes as its own government could be forced to hold a snap election.

Fine Gael Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was in talks with Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin in a bid to head off a no-confidence vote in his deputy, Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald, who is accused of links to a campaign to discredit Garda whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe in 2015.

Speaking on a visit to New Zealand yesterday, British International Trade Secretary Liam Fox insisted: “We don’t want there to be a hard border but the UK is going to be leaving the customs union and the single market.

“We have always had exceptions for Ireland - whether it’s in our voting rights, our rights of residence in the UK, we have always accepted a certain asymmetry and that will have to be part of whatever agreement we come to with the European Union.”

Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell said he was “worried” by Mr Fox’s comments, as “we need movement to enable us to get into the proper trade negotiations.”

Earlier he said it was important not to lose gains from the Northern Ireland peace process in talks.

Shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner said Labour had not ruled out staying in the single market or a customs union after Brexit – and that the party could “have those discussions” if Theresa May accepted her time was up and called an election.