Brexit talks between the EU and the UK will not take place this weekend after the European Commission said Boris Johnson's new proposals "do not provide a basis for concluding an agreement".
EU Commission spokeswoman Natasha Bertaud said discussions on the British prime minister's plan to replace the backstop would not take place this weekend.
Instead, the UK would be given "another opportunity to present its proposals in detail" on Monday.
She said: "Michel Barnier debriefed (officials) yesterday, where member states agreed that the UK proposals do not provide a basis for concluding an agreement."
Mr Johnson is expected visit several European cities next week for face-to-face talks as well as continuing to speak by phone to counterparts.
The move came after Mr Johnson insisted yesterday that he would not delay Brexit, despite his lawyers saying he will comply with a law calling for the October 31 exit date to be postponed if there is no deal.
Mr Johnson has previously made a "do or die" pledge several times to get the UK to exit by October 31, with or without an agreement in place.
New deal or no deal - but no delay. #GetBrexitDone #LeaveOct31 🇬🇧
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) October 4, 2019
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: "Brexit doesn't end with the UK leaving, it's just the next phase of negotiations but if the UK were to request an extension, we would consider it, but most EU countries would only consider it for good reason, but an extension would be better than no deal."
Speaking during a state visit to Sweden this week, he warned that the UK Government’s proposals on the Irish border after Brexit “fall short in a number of ways.”
This was reiterated by Tánaiste Simon Coveney who said that if Mr Johnson's latest proposals are his final offer then there will be no deal.
However, he said that while there are "fundamental problems" with the protocols, he hopes they can be "stepping stones" towards securing a deal.
Additional reporting by IRN
