The Brexit negotiations are reaching ‘make your mind up time’, according to Ireland South MEP Sean Kelly.

Speaking on EuroParlRadio, Kelly explained that signs are positive that a deal will be struck.

Reacting to the president of the European Commission’s, Jean-Claude Juncker’s, state of the union address, Kelly welcomed that he came out strongly in support of the question of not returning to a hard border as well as ensuring that there will be full commitment to the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement.

Commenting on the state of the current Brexit negotiations, he said: “We are reaching ‘make your mind up’ time. They are seeing where the bottom line is and how things actually work in practice.

“What they are doing now is sussing it out with us, the Government back home and with everybody else to see can an agreement be reached that everyone can sign up to.

That is the nature of negotiations. The bottom lines are very clear; the border must remain as it is at the minute and everything else has to work around that.

Kelly is confident that a deal will be struck in the near future.

“Brexit atmosphere changes almost every day. Two or three weeks ago, I would have said that there was going to be no deal – because of the uncertainty in the UK and the frustration here in Brussels.

“But actually since we came back, over the last number of weeks, the atmosphere has changed again.

“I think there is a real desire there now to get a deal,” he said.