The Taoiseach says he is "surprised and disappointed" that a deal on Brexit could not be agreed today.

Leo Varadkar says a deal looked done this morning that would have allowed negotiations to move to the next stage.

The Irish government were satisfied that the agreed text meant no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland.

But speculation of a deal turned out to be unfounded, when the British Prime Minister Theresa May and the EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the talks had hit a last minute stumbling block.

However, Leo Varadkar is hopeful a deal could be reached in the coming days: