The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and British prime minister Boris Johnson had a “detailed and constructive discussion” on Thursday afternoon in Cheshire, England.

In a joint statement, they said they both continue to believe a deal is in everybody’s interest and agreed they could “see a pathway to a possible deal”.

Their discussions concentrated on the challenges of customs and consent and they also discussed the potential to strengthen bilateral relations, including on Northern Ireland.

Both leaders agreed to reflect further on their discussions and that officials would continue to engage intensively on them.

Following their discussions, the Taoiseach will consult with the EU task force and the UK Brexit secretary will meet EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier on Friday morning.

Barnier

On Wednesday evening, Brexit negotiations between the EU and UK looked to be on the point of breakdown. Barnier said the EU was not in a position where an agreement could be reached.

It followed the rejection of proposals by the UK prime minister to allow Northern Ireland remain aligned to EU standards but leave the customs union with the rest of the UK.

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