The EU will not be rushed into striking a deal on future relations with the UK just because Parliament has passed a law to prevent an extension of negotiations, Ireland’s foreign minister has said.

Simon Coveney said the 31 December deadline written into Boris Johnson’s EU withdrawal legislation was "very ambitious” and would not apply to the remaining 27 nations of the EU.

Mr Johnson’s insistence that he will not extend the transition period for negotiations beyond the end of 2020 has raised the spectre of a chaotic no-deal Brexit disrupting trade and travel.

But Mr Coveney told BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show that the deal on future EU/UK relations must involve more than just trade, also taking in thorny issues like fishing, aviation and data transfers.

"I know that Prime Minister Johnson has set a very ambitious timetable to get this done. He has even put it into British law,” said the Irish deputy premier,

Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Show all 8 1 /8 Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Conservative party leader Boris Johnson drives a JCB through a fake wall POOL/AFP via Getty Images Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a visit to JCB cab manufacturing centre in Uttoxeter, while on the General Election campaign trail. PA Photo. Picture date: Tuesday December 10, 2019. See PA story POLITICS Election. Photo credit should read: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire Stefan Rousseau PA Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Britain's Prime Minister and Conservative party leader Boris Johnson drives a Union flag-themed JCB, with the words "Get Brexit Done" inside the digger bucket, through a fake wall emblazoned with the word "GRIDLOCK", during a general election campaign event at JCB construction company in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, on December 10, 2019. - Britain will go to the polls on December 12, 2019 to vote in a pre-Christmas general election. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BEN STANSALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) BEN STANSALL AFP via Getty Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Prime Minister Boris Johnson sits in a cab of a JCB during a visit to its cab manufacturing centre in Uttoxeter, while on the General Election campaign trail. PA Photo. Picture date: Tuesday December 10, 2019. See PA story POLITICS Election. Photo credit should read: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire Stefan Rousseau PA Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Britain's Prime Minister and Conservative leader Boris Johnson drives a Union flag-themed JCB, with the words "Get Brexit Done" inside the digger bucket, through a fake wall emblazoned with the word "GRIDLOCK", during a general election campaign event at JCB construction company in Uttoxeter, Britain, December 10, 2019. Ben Stansall/AFP/Pool via REUTERS POOL REUTERS Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes A sign made for a visit by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to the JCB cab manufacturing centre in Uttoxeter, while on the General Election campaign trail. PA Photo. Picture date: Tuesday December 10, 2019. See PA story POLITICS Election. Photo credit should read: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire Stefan Rousseau PA Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Britain's Prime Minister and Conservative party leader Boris Johnson drives a Union flag-themed JCB, with the words "Get Brexit Done" inside the digger bucket, through a fake wall emblazoned with the word "GRIDLOCK", during a general election campaign event at JCB construction company in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, on December 10, 2019. - Britain will go to the polls on December 12, 2019 to vote in a pre-Christmas general election. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BEN STANSALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) BEN STANSALL AFP via Getty Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Britain's Prime Minister and Conservative party leader Boris Johnson reacts as he sits in the cab of a drives a Union flag-themed JCB, after driving through a fake wall emblazoned with the word "GRIDLOCK", during a general election campaign event at JCB construction company in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, on December 10, 2019. - Britain will go to the polls on December 12, 2019 to vote in a pre-Christmas general election. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BEN STANSALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) BEN STANSALL AFP via Getty

“But just because a British parliament decides that British laws say something doesn't mean that that law applies to the other 27 countries of the European Union.

“So the European Union will approach this on the basis of getting the best deal possible - a fair and balanced deal to ensure the EU and the UK can interact as friends in the future.

"But the EU will not be rushed on this just because Britain passes a law."

Mr Coveney raised concerns about the possibility of a series of side deals on specific areas if time ran out to strike a comprehensive agreement by December.

"We would certainly much rather negotiate a comprehensive deal that deals with all of these things collectively and together," he said.

"If we have learnt anything from the first round of Brexit - which has taken a lot longer than it should have - it is that we have got to provide certainty for people, we can't continue to have crisis after crisis and the uncertainty and brinkmanship of Brexit negotiations."

Mr Coveney raised concern about the tone of UK commentary framing the negotiations as an opportunity for Britain to defeat or stand up to the EU.

"This is the language of enemies, not friends, and we need to move away from that," he said.