Taoiseach set to meet Boris Johnson next week for key Brexit talks

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he may meet British Prime Minister Boris Johnson next week.

He said he would listen to alternatives to the backstop, but so far suggestions have been on just managing the border, which he told RTÉ was not the outcome Ireland wanted.

The European Commission has said there have been no new “concrete” proposals put forward by the UK on replacing the Irish border backstop.

"This is a very volatile and dynamic situation. Events are happening in the House of Commons this week and we're going to have to see how they pan out," Mr Varadkar said.

"I could very easily make an initiative today and find out in 48 hours that it is totally out of date, so I think we have to allow things develop in Westminster."

He said Cabinet will meet tomorrow and a new memo on how a no-deal Brexit will affect the country. He added that he will use his meeting with US Vice-President Mike Pence to highlight the Brexit risks to Ireland.

I am always willing to listen to any proposal that a British Prime Minister has.

"The backstop is a means to an end.

"It is there to ensure that we continue to have frictionless trade north and south, that there is no physical infrastructure, no checks, no controls, no tariffs.

"We want that to continue to be the case. It has been the case since 1992, we want that to continue.

Of course, I would listen to any proposals that the British Prime Minister may have to achieve that by an alternative means and we provide for alternative arrangements in the joint political declaration.

"The difficulty is that anything we have seen so far when it comes to alternative arrangements do something very different.

"They just manage a border, they facilitate tariffs, they facilitate checks, they facilitate controls but try to do it in a way that is invisible and unobtrusive, and that is better than nothing but it is not the outcome that we want to achieve."

- Additional reporting Press Association