Leo Varadkar has said Ireland will be under an obligation to protect the single market if Britain crashes out of the EU in October.

The Taoiseach has said there is "enormous hostility" in Europe to any further extension to Brexit.

The Government jet will not now be scrambled to bring Ibrahim Halawa home, as had previously been suggested.

The Taoiseach is hoping a cross-party committee examining Ireland’s abortion laws will meet a December deadline on a decision after the members voted, by a majority in favour of not retaining the Eighth Amendment “in full”.