The president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker has said it would be the responsibility of the UK if they crashed out of the EU without a Brexit deal.
Mr Juncker said that he and the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier were working hard to secure a deal, but that if this does not succeed, the fault will lie with the British side.
In an interview with the German newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine, he said a no-deal Brexit would be "a disaster" for the UK and Europe
Additionally, a free trade agreement would be difficult to negotiate because, in contrast with previous arrangements to allow nations to work together, in the case of the UK "it's about a split".
He emphasised that concluding a trade deal could take several years.
Meanwhile, the Tánaiste Simon Coveney is due to meet Michel Barnier in Brussels today.
He said the meeting would provide him with the opportunity to hear Mr Barnier's views on his recent discussions with British representatives on how to secure an orderly exit.
Mr Coveney said ahead of the gathering: "With only a few weeks remaining before October’s European Council, the onus is firmly on the UK to come up with credible, fully-worked out and legally operable proposals in a timeframe that allows these proposals to be properly considered before the Council.”
He said any UK proposals must achieve the same outcome as the backstop, including avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland, protecting the Good Friday Agreement, as well as maintaining the integrity of the economy and the EU Single Market.
Mr Coveney said nothing has been proposed by the British side which achieves this other than the backstop.
This echoed the sentiments of Mr Barnier who told diplomats yesterday that the UK had yet to present a workable alternative to the backstop.
