Irish PM 'surprised' that agreed Brexit border deal could not be concluded

DUBLIN - 4 December 2017: Ireland is "surprised and disappointed" that the British government was unable to conclude a deal Dublin believed had been agreed on the future of the Northern Ireland border after Brexit, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Monday.

"We had an agreement this morning. We’re disappointed and surprised to hear that agreement cannot be concluded today but we’re happy to give the UK government more time, if it needs it, so we can conclude it in the coming days," Varadkar told a news briefing in Dublin.

He said Ireland's position was unequivocal and that Ireland would accept changes to the agreed text only if the meaning remained the same.