Irish foreign minister says Brexit deal can be done

Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney on Wednesday said he believed a trade deal can be done between Britain and the European Union and said optimism had increased in recent weeks. "I think there is some more optimism now than there was a few weeks ago," Coveney told a parliamentary committee.

A recent phone call between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson "was helpful in terms of reinforcing the message that a deal can be done and I would reinforce that message again here today", he said.