EU stands 'fully behind Ireland' in Brexit negotiations, says Barnier

The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier on Monday said that, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the EU will refuse to open trade talks with Britain until an agreement is in place regarding the Irish border, citizens’ rights and a financial settlement.

The Irish border, citizens’ rights and a financial settlement would be three items covered in the withdrawal deal that the EU has already endorsed, effectively meaning that Britain would be required to accept the pledges of the agreement if it ever chooses to pursue a trade deal with the EU.

The Frenchman said the EU would "stand fully behind Ireland", aiming to protect the Good Friday peace agreement.

Speaking to journalists in Dublin after meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, Barnier also said he was confident that a solution could be found to the Irish border situation and added that the EU's main priority in a no-deal scenario would be protection of the single market.

The news comes on a day where Theresa May met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron in an attempt to secure a short extension to the current Brexit deadline.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte confirmed that he has also spoken to May, warning on Twitter that a "positive decision" from the EU hinged on assurances of "sincere cooperation" from the UK, though Varadkar had told RTE over the weekend that any member of the EU27 that vetoed a Brexit extension "wouldn't be forgiven for it".

May is under pressure to produce a new Brexit plan this week, with EU leaders meeting on Wednesday to consider a request to extend the Brexit deadline until 30 June.

In something of a new direction, May's government opened talks last week with the Labour Party in an attempt to forge a deal with cross-party support that might see more success than the Prime Minister's previous proposals.

The outcome of these talks remains largely unclear as they have not continued this week, with shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer stating that the ball remained "in the government's court" when it came to plotting the way forward for Brexit and stating that the government seem to have "not changed its position" on May's deal.