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Angela Merkel urges UK to explain how it will replace the Irish backstop

Angela Merkel has urged the UK to set out exactly how it wants to avoid a hard border with Ireland in the absence of a trade deal as she called for “creative” conversations to solve the Brexit deadlock.

Speaking on Monday morning, the German Chancellor tried to strike an upbeat tone as she insisted a solution to the backstop issue could be found if “everybody is willing”.

Theresa May is seeking to establish “alternative arrangements” to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland if the UK leaves the post-Brexit transition period without a trade deal ready to be implemented.

The current proposal – to keep the UK in the EU’s customs union for an indefinite period with no unilateral exit – has been seen by Downing Street has the main reason MPs voted down May’s Brexit deal in the Commons last month.

May has since won the support of MPs to go back to Brussels to renegotiate the backstop, but EU leaders have repeatedly said the withdrawal agreement – agreed in December – will not be reopened.

However, Merkel seemed to suggest a deal could be done, when she said: “To solve this riddle you have to be creative, you have to listen to each other.

“We can have these conversations so we can use the remaining time to perhaps remove the obstacles that have so far stood in the way and find an agreement if everybody is willing.

“But we need to hear from Great Britain, and that is the crucial point, we need to hear from Great Britain how they want to do it.”

Her comments came as a top EU official ruled out giving additional legal assurances over the temporary nature of the Ireland backstop following a meeting with a cross-party group of UK MPs.

Martin Selmayr, Secretary-General of the European Commission, moved quickly to dash any hopes of progress in the negotiations after it was reported the EU would consider making the pledges.

After meeting with parliament’s Brexit select committee in Brussels on Monday morning, Selmayr tweeted: “On the EU side, nobody is considering [legally binding assurances on the withdrawal agreement].

“Asked whether any assurance would help to get the withdrawal agreement through the Commons, the answers of MPs were…inconclusive.

“The meeting confirmed that the EU did will to start its no deal preparations in December 2017.”