The UK foreign secretary has warned that Brexit could be delayed as the government attempts to resolve the issue of the Irish border.

Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt told BBC radio that the UK government may need "extra time" to pass key legislation if Theresa May can agree a deal at the eleventh hour.

"We will put those proposals together. It is going to take a few days to do that," Mr Hunt said.

"I happen to believe there is potential along all the different routes that have been discussed. But we need to put those together, make sure they meet the concerns the EU has expressed and then I think... we will have a proper discussion."

Mr Hunt said it was too early to say if an extension to the Brexit process would be required but said it is possible that Brexit could be delayed if the UK government isn't ready.

"I think it is true that if we ended up approving a deal in the days before 29 March then we might need some extra time to pass critical legislation, but if we are able to make progress sooner then that might not be necessary.

"We can't know at this stage exactly which of those scenarios would happen."

"There are lots and lots of hurdles, no-one is saying this isn't going to be very challenging, but we do now have a consensus in Parliament.

"We can use that consensus, providing we can meet these concerns, very reasonable concerns from our friends in Ireland about not having a hard border, concerns in the EU about access to the single market.

"Providing we can do that, which I think we can, then I think there is a way through."

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has offered his solidarity to Ireland as the Brexit crisis continues to edge towards a no-deal scenario.

Mr Trudeau discussed the situation with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar during a phone call yesterday.

A note released by the Canadian leader’s offices suggests the conversation was much more cordial that one Mr Varadkar shared with British Prime Minister Theresa May around the same time.

The pair discussed a number of international events including the situation in Venezuela.

Mr Trudeau also alerted the Taoiseach to the case of two Canadian citizens who are currently under “arbitrary detention” in China and a third who is facing the death penalty.

Mr Varadkar then updated his counterpart on the situation regarding the UK’s reneging on backstop which is designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland.

The Canadian Prime Minister’s office said: “The two leaders discussed the implications for Ireland of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal form the European Union.

“They agreed on the fundamental importance of protecting the Good Friday Agreement for the peace process in Northern Ireland, and recalled Canada’s role in achieving the Agreement.”

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has bluntly told British Prime Minister Theresa May her betrayal of the Brexit deal has only "reinforced" the need for a backstop.

As Anglo-Irish relations hit a modern-day low, European leaders also rounded on Mrs May over what they see as an act of bad faith.

In a co-ordinated effort, EU leaders publicly admonished UK politicians over what is being seen as Mrs May's "backstab on the backstop".

EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said those in Westminster hoping Europe plans to "abandon the backstop and so Ireland at the last minute" will be disappointed.

"This is not a game. And neither is it a simple bilateral issue. It goes to the heart of what being a member of the European Union means. Ireland's border is Europe's border - and it is our union's priority," he said.

Mrs May conceded her government hadn't settled on a way to replace the backstop, telling MPs "there are a number of proposals for how that could be done".

Measures under consideration include a unilateral exit mechanism from the backstop for the UK, a time limit to the backstop, and "mutual recognition and trusted trader schemes". These have already been tested by the EU and ruled out as unworkable.

Mr Varadkar last night told a private Fine Gael meeting his Government would support a delay to Brexit beyond March 29 if Mrs May sought one.

But relations between Dublin and London continue to plummet.

In an unscripted remark at an event in Dublin yesterday, Tánaiste Simon Coveney took aim at the British Conservative Party, suggesting internal wrangling was behind the prime minister's U-turn on the backstop.

"If this is about keeping a party together that for 30 years has been torn about by different perspectives on the relationship with the European Union...If that's what this is about, I cannot allow that agenda to make Ireland the casualty," he said.

Meanwhile, at a House of Commons committee in London, former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab accused Mr Varadkar of leaking details of a confidential meeting he had with Mr Coveney.

The Taoiseach roundly rejected the claim and Mr Coveney's spokesman described it as "pure spoof".

Then came the terse phone call between Mr Varadkar and Mrs May which resulted in total deadlock.

Mr Varadkar said Ireland's position remains "unchanged", adding that "the latest developments had reinforced the need for a backstop which is legally robust and workable in practice".

The prime minister indicated that she is engaged in "further consultations" with MPs before the two leaders "agreed to stay in touch over the coming period".

Ireland's position received heavyweight backing in the European Parliament where Mr Juncker and the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier both addressed the issue.

Mr Juncker said there could be "no slipping back into darker times past".

"I believe the prime minister's personal commitment on this point. But I also believe that we need a safety net that secures us against this risk.

"We have no incentive nor desire to use the safety net. But at the same time, no safety net can ever truly be safe if it can just be removed at any time," he said.

Likewise, Mr Barnier said he found it hard to accept the UK was trying to blame his team for the current mess. "The backstop is part and parcel of the Withdrawal Agreement. There is no scope for doubt on that point," he said.

Germany's foreign office also tweeted the entire EU "stands by Ireland" and will not allow this country "to be isolated" on the backstop.

At a conference on the future of Europe yesterday, Mr Coveney warned the UK is "running out of road" while pushing unworkable ideas.

"Believe me, this has been explored endlessly in the negotiations over the last two years. We have seen no alternative arrangements that meet this essential threshold.

"And we need a backstop or insurance mechanism based on legal certainty, and not just wishful thinking," he said.

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Irish Independent