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Brexit latest: PM could take no-deal off table by revoking Article 50, says Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar

The Irish Taoiseach has become the first EU leader to publicly say Theresa May could stop a no-deal Brexit by revoking Article 50.

Speaking in Brussels, Leo Varadkar openly discussed the possibility of Britain leaving the bloc being stopped.

Mr Varadkar said at the EU summit: “It is possible, if the UK wishes to, to revoke Article 50 or if that's a step too far to seek an extension of Article 50, so the UK Parliament has more time to come together and decide what they would like the outcome to be."

"What we want is an enduring assurance that there will not be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland under any circumstances," he said.

“In terms of a no-deal let’s not forget ultimately it is within the gift of the UK Government and the UK Parliament to take the threat of no-deal off the table.”

Leo Varadkar was one of the EU leaders in Brussels
Leo Varadkar was one of the EU leaders in Brussels

It was signalled in a European Court of Justice ruling that the UK could do so unilaterally, though this has been dismissed by Mrs May and her government.

Mr Varadkar added: “It seems to me that there is a majority in Westminster in favour of the proposition that there shouldn’t be no-deal but there doesn’t seem to be a majority in favour of any particular deal."

It came on a mixed day for Mrs May, following her weathering a no confidence vote, as she received a variable reception in Brussels.

In a show of support for her, the Dutch PM said he admired Theresa May and that it was “not very British” when she was laughed at during a statement in the Commons.

Mark Rutte commended his embattled counterpart and said she was an “able leader”.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: "She is an able leader. I admire her tenacity, as I said to your colleague and her resilience, and she is a great leader.

"And if you saw some of the Labour people laughing at her when she said 'I listened', I felt it was not very British.

"This was not very British and the way she stood there and kept her composure and won this fight within her party, I have highest admiration for her."

Theresa May is in Brussels for a two-day summit
Theresa May is in Brussels for a two-day summit

The comment appeared to be in reference to when Mrs May announced that she was delaying the vote on her deal, when she said she had listened to concerns over the Irish backstop.

The pair met on at The Hague on Tuesday, the day before she faced and weathered a confidence vote.

The backing of the Dutch PM came as a welcome respite for Mrs May, who has been rebuffed consistently by EU compatriots when discussing the deal.

The consensus has been that while they are prepare to help, the Withdrawal Agreement is not something they are willing to change.

On Thursday she was at the first day of a two-day summit with the EU27.

Three major German figureheads, interior minister Stephan Mayer, European commissioner Guenther Oettinger and senior MEP Elmar Brok said political clarification was possible, though any legal changes to the agreement were not.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who met Mrs May in Berlin on Tuesday, said: "I do not see that this Withdrawal Agreement can be changed.

"We can discuss whether there should be additional assurances, but here the 27 member states will act very much in common and make their interests very clear."

However, she said it was “good news” the PM won the confidence vote.

French President Emmanuel Macron said: "We cannot reopen a legal agreement, we can't renegotiate something which has been negotiated over several months. We can have a political discussion in this context."

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who currently holds the rotating EU presidency, suggested there could be a special Brexit summit in January to agree "additional assurances".

These could be attached to the Political Declaration on the UK's future relationship with the EU, he said.