Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----and I think Deputy Enda Kenny made that point extremely well when he spoke yesterday. Perhaps another former Taoiseach saw it differently, but there will not be a last-minute, 2 a.m. deal in the run-up to Hallowe'en in October because that is not how this is structured. The negotiations happen between the task force and the UK, not at the Council meeting itself.

I have always said that the deadline for finalising the withdrawal agreement, including the Irish protocol, was October. That is what is in the EU guidelines. That is what I said many months ago at the March Council meeting, if Deputies want to check back. However, I have also said we need to see real and meaningful progress before the June Council meeting. The UK proposal, which came out last week is welcome, it is a small step forward, but it is at best a partial solution to part of the problem. It deals with customs but does not deal with regulation. The paper admits this, that standards and regulation would have to be dealt with separately, and it appears to be time-limited, which we cannot accept. For a backstop to be a backstop, it must apply unless and until-----

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