The Taoiseach is travelling to Brussels today to discuss the latest stand-off in Brexit negotiations.

Leo Varadkar will meet with European Council President Donald Tusk and Chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.

In recent week’s UK Prime Minister Theresa May has issued a number of outright rejections of Brexit proposals put forward by the EU.

Yesterday, she warned that Britain is “not afraid” to leave the bloc without a deal.

Backstop

Speaking ahead of the meetings in Brussels, Mr Varadkar said the Government remains focused on the “the pressing need for agreement on a Withdrawal Agreement, with an operational and legally-binding backstop.”

“The Withdrawal Agreement must ensure that, no matter what the outcome of negotiations on the future relationship between the EU and UK, a hard border on the island of Ireland will be avoided,” he said.

“This is critically important to reinforce the stability brought about by the Peace Process and the Good Friday Agreement.

“The negotiations are entering a critical phase, and time is running out.

“But I believe that an agreement is possible, with the right political will and focus on all sides.”

British Prime Minister Theresa May

No-deal

In her speech to the Conservative Party’s national conference in Birmingham yesterday, Mrs May insisted “no one wants a good deal more than me but that has never meant getting a deal at any cost.”

In what she said was a “clear message” to the EU, she insisted Westminster will “never accept” a deal that acts as a barrier to the agreement of bilateral trade deals with other countries – or effectively keeps Northern Ireland within the EU Customs Union.

She again doubled down on her ‘Chequers’ strategy which the EU has warned will not work as it threatens the integrity of the Single Market.

Opposition

It comes amid increasing threats from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) - which is propping up Mrs May’s minority Government – that it will pull the plug if it does not get its way on the Irish border backstop.

The UK Government has already agreed to sign up to a legally binding backstop solution that ensures there will be no return to a hard border in Ireland regardless of what happens with Brexit.

It has rejected EU proposals for how this can be achieved – but it has yet to come forward with a viable alternative.

Withdrawal Agreement

Mrs May is expected to bring forward her own new proposals in the coming days.

Officials in Dublin and Europe are hopeful they will contain enough concessions to break the impasse – despite the opposition of the DUP and London’s Brexiteers.

If the proposals can lead to a deal, it is hoped the backstop can be agreed and finalised at the upcoming summit of EU leaders in Brussels later this month.

Should leaders get the go-ahead from chief negotiator Michel Barnier, they will decide whether to convene a special November Summit to finalise the UKs Withdrawal Agreement.