The EU is waiting for the UK to put forward a solution to the border problem on the island of Ireland which avoids the need for physical checks and borders.

Following the conclusion of the latest round of talks between the EU and the UK, the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier warned that if the UK in its entirety leaves the Single Market and Customs Union, border checks on the island of Ireland will be unavoidable.

During the post talks’ press conference, Mr Barnier said “On Ireland, we focused on solutions to avoid a hard border. Any solution must be precise, clear and unambiguous.”

He wants the agreement from the UK to avoid a hard border to be written into the Withdrawal Agreement and is asking the UK to put forward its solutions to this problem as soon as possible.

The Taoiseach has also urged the UK to give some clarity on its plans saying “time is running out, March 2019 isn’t all that far away now.” Mr Varadkar said that he wants the UK to be more forthcoming with how it sees its relationship with the EU post Brexit.

With the UK hoping to reach agreement on a transition period later this month and a trade deal later this year, it’s been reported that the UK Prime Minister Theresa May will make two speeches on Brexit in the next few weeks to provide more details of how the UK will put in place its withdrawal from the EU.