EU yet to receive UK's alternatives to Brexit backstop: Varadkar

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Monday that the European Union had not received from Britain any alternatives to the so-called backstop provision in the Brexit divorce deal. "We haven't received such proposals to date," Varadkar said during a visit by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson ahead of their first face-to-face talks since the British leader took power in July.

"No backstop is no deal," he added, noting the meeting between the pair was "an opportunity to see where there might be common ground". The backstop is a provision in the withdrawal agreement Johnson's predecessor Theresa May struck with Brussels to keep the Irish border open regardless of the outcome of Britain's future relationship with the EU.

It would keep the country in the bloc's customs union until a long-term solution to trade terms is agreed. Johnson on Monday reiterated his stance that the provision must be scrapped in order for the two sides to reach a compromise deal ahead of Britain's October 31 departure date.

He struck an optimistic tone on the prospects of finding a deal on the contention issue. "I do think there's a way through," Johnson said, without providing further details, describing a no-deal Brexit as "a failure of statecraft for which we would all be responsible."