Irish sources said that Mr Varadkar and Mrs May discussed the continuing absence of an administration in the North and also the “overall state of play” on Brexit, but were tight-lipped about any conclusions. The dinner was also attended by senior officials from Downing St, including the prime minister’s chief of staff Gavin Barwell and chief Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins. The Taoiseach’s chief of staff Brian Murphy, top Brexit official John Callinan and the secretary general of the Department of the Taoiseach Martin Fraser, also attended, Government Buildings said. The Attorney General Seamus Woulfe also met his British counterpart Geoffrey Cox in Dublin yesterday. The Dublin visit comes at the end of a week of shuttle diplomacy in the EU with visits to Brussels by both the Taoiseach and Mrs May to discuss Brexit issues with the leaders of the EU institutions.

Source: The Irish Times February 08, 2019 23:15 UTC