THE secretary of state has said it would be impossible for Northern Ireland to remain part of the EU single market and customs union while Britain remained outside.
But James Brokenshire said "subtle distinctions" already existed between agricultural regulation in the north and Britain and this could potentially enable an all-island approach to trade in food commodities that would avoid a hard border.
The Tory MP was speaking in Brussels yesterday where he gave senior EU figures an update on the current deadlock at Stormont.
He also discussed the impact of Brexit on Northern Ireland in separate meetings with EU agriculture commissioner Phil Hogan and chief negotiator Michel Barnier.
The secretary of state also met with Sir Julian King, the British European Commissioner, to discuss the latest security developments in Northern Ireland.
In his speech to the European Policy Centre (EPC), Mr Brokenshire reiterated the British government's commitment to protect the Good Friday Agreement, the Common Travel Area and the UK's own single market.
He repeated his hope that the UK government would seek to apply similar food safety standards to the EU and would explore whether Brussels could continue to fund projects in Northern Ireland.
However, he ruled out any arrangement that would see the north maintain formal links with the EU.
"I find it difficult to imagine how Northern Ireland could somehow remain in [the customs union and single market] while the rest of the country leaves – I would find it impossible," he said.
"But as we have made equally clear we are determined to find bespoke solutions to Northern Ireland's unique circumstances, not least as the only part of the UK to share a land border with an EU member state."
Mr Brokenshire said there may be flexibility around the agrifood sector.
"There are slightly, subtly different standards across the whole of the UK, and [that is] why Northern Ireland and Ireland are aligned as a separate unit as contrasted with Great Britain."
The secretary of state cited the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001 as an example of where the island of Ireland was treated separately from Britain.
However, he stressed that no solution would be permitted that required checks between Northern Ireland and Britain.
"We've said we want to be open minded about this, that we don't want to create any new barriers east-west between Northern Ireland and Great Britain," he said.
"We think we can do that in an overall integrated way that ensures that there aren't those frictions that emerge east-west or indeed north-south around the agricultural industry."
Sinn Féin MEP Martina Anderson claimed it was hypocritical for Mr Brokenshire to talk about protecting the interests of Northern Ireland.
She accused him of trying to "pull the wool over the eyes" of the EU.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood warned that the secretary of state should not become the "de facto voice and representative of Northern Ireland on Brexit" in the absence of an executive.
"The visit by James Brokenshire to Brussels once more symbolises the cost of failing to form a government in Northern Ireland – instead of our local government updating the European institutions, it was instead left to the British secretary of state," he said.
