Published: 07:51 Friday 09 March 2018 European Council president Donald Tusk has threatened to freeze Brexit talks, insisting that the sequence of negotiations must be “Ireland first”. Britain has so far failed to bring forward “specific and realistic” alternative proposals to keep the Irish border open without activating the EU’s “backstop” option, he said. After Theresa May rejected EU proposals for Northern Ireland effectively to remain in the customs union, Mr Tusk warned that progress in Brexit talks could be put at risk if there was “backsliding” on principles agreed last year. The European Council president was speaking in Dublin after talks with Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who held out hopes for an “evolution” in the UK’s position as negotiations on the future relationship get under way.
European union president Donald Tusk has threatened to freeze Brexit talks unless matters relating to the Irish border are considered first . He said he had not come up with a " specific and realistic " alternative to keeping the Irish border open without activating the EU ’s own " backstop " option . Theresa May has rejected EU proposals for Northern Ireland in effect to remain in the European union and has said Brexit talks would be at risk if there was “ backsliding ” on principles agreed last week . He was speaking after talks with the Irish taoiseach , Leo Varadkar , in Dublin .