Mr Flanagan held a meeting with Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Justice Secretary David Lidington and Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire in London yesterday.

They discussed the ongoing close co-operation between Ireland and the UK on criminal and civil justice, immigration and security issues, as well as the evolving threats from organised crime and terrorism.

Mr Flanagan said he and his British counterparts have a “strong shared determination to work to ensure that the UK’s planned departure from the European Union will not weaken our efforts to combat shared security threats and will provide no benefit to criminals”.

He added: “Ireland and the UK enjoy excellent bilateral cooperation, but also benefit greatly from the European Arrest Warrant and other EU measures that support the fight against crime and terrorism.

“We discussed and agreed the need for that cooperation to continue, and I stressed the importance of transitional or interim arrangements, so as to allow sufficient time to tease out the complex issues which will require examination in reaching a future partnership agreement.

“We all also reaffirmed our commitment to maintaining the Common Travel Area. We discussed its great importance to the people of Ireland and the UK and I emphasised in particular how vital it is in the context of Northern Ireland. I also welcomed the progress which is being made on the Common Travel Area in the course of the Article 50 negotiations.”