The German premier will visit Farmleigh House, Dublin, where meetings will discuss the latest Brexit developments before next week’s special European Council talks. People from Northern Ireland are also scheduled to voice their opinions on the current plan for the border area after the UK leaves the EU. A spokesman from the Irish government said: “Ahead of their formal meeting, the Taoiseach and Chancellor will participate in a round-table discussion with people from Northern Ireland and the border area, who will share their personal experience and perspectives on the impact any return to a hard border would have on border communities and businesses.

“These are people for whom the border is a very real issue – people from communities along the border, from business, and with direct personal experience of conflict before the Good Friday Agreement.

“It is important to hear their voices as we work together to deal with the challenges that Brexit presents.”

He added that the German Chancellor was a “strong and unwavering ally of Ireland”.

The meeting represents a chance for the pair to consider other issues on the EU agenda.

These include how Ireland and German can strengthen the “already excellent relations”, the spokesman said.

Mr Varadkar told the Irish parliament he hoped a compromise deal between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn could be reached.

He said: “Whatever issues arise, if there is no deal, they are very much seen as shared problems, ones that Ireland will try to resolve with our partners in France and the European Commission.

“It’s not a questions of a big stick or us being put under undue pressure, but there are reasonable questions being asked as to how we will protect the integrity of the single market and the single union.”

On Wednesday night, MPs in the House of Commons passed a motion which instructs the Government to seek an extension to Article 50.

The move is seen as a step to avoid a no deal Brexit.

The motion passed by just one vote on its third reading and wasn’t supported by the Government.

The motion was led by Labour’s Yvette Cooper and Conservative Sir Oliver Lewin.

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