France's foreign minister has said that, as things stand, the European Union would not grant the UK an extension beyond 31 October to negotiate its exit from the bloc.

Jean-Yves Le Drian told Europe 1 Radio that it was very worrying and the British must say what they want.

"In the current circumstances, it's no! ... We are not going to go through this every three months."

He said: "The (British) say that they want to put forward other solutions, alternative arrangements so that they can leave," he said, referring to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's efforts to find a way out of the backstop, the main sticking point.

"But we have not seen them and so it is 'no'... let the British authorities tell us the way forward," he said.

"Let them take responsibility for their situation... They have to tell us what they want."

Britain was originally meant to leave the European Union on 29 March but with parliament deadlocked the British government ended up negotiating a delay to 31 October.

Read more

Worst-case Brexit scenario is no longer conjecture

Brexit: The backstop dilemma burns bright

Latest Brexit stories

Two of Boris Johnson's ministers today said the British Prime Minister was sticking to his Brexit plan and will not seek a delay to Britain's departure from the EU at a summit next month.

They made the comments following a resignation from the UK government.

After work and pensions minister Amber Rudd's shock resignation late yesterday over Mr Johnson's Brexit policy, two ministers said the prime minister was determined to "keep to the plan" to leave the European Union by 31 October with or without an agreement.

Mr Johnson's determination to leave "do or die" by that deadline has been shaken by the events of recent days, which have prompted critics to describe him as a tyrant and deepened uncertainty over how Britain's 2016 vote to leave the EU will play out.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson is due in Dublin tomorrow to meet Taoiseach Leo Varadkar when the focus will be on Brexit and Northern Ireland.

It will be the first formal bilateral meeting between the two leaders.

There will be full coverage of the meeting between Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tomorrow morning at 9am on RTÉ One television, RTÉ News Now, online and radio.