Latest: Former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said the backstop needs to "come out" of Thresea May's Withdrawal Agreement with the EU in order to allow Brexit.

To his supporters, Taoiseach Enda Kenny is an underrated politician who deserves more credit for saving Ireland from financial ruin. For his detractors a series of public gaffes — the latest of which have occurred this week — mean his political limitations are rarely far from view.