Speaking to today, Ireland's foreign minister, Simon Coveney claimed the EU is ready to offer proposals on medicines to ally concerns in Northern Ireland. After Lord Frost's threat to trigger Article 16, Mr Coveney admitted there is now a chance to make progress on medicines. He said: "There’s a real opportunity to try to make some progress on medicines in particular this week, and then use that as a basis to build trust to try to solve other issues as well."

       Earlier today, the European Union appeared to blink in its stalemate with the UK and held fire over its threats to impose sanctions against Britain.

       The European Commission had planned to announce the measures this week following the UK's threats to impose Article 16.

       Hans von der Burchard, report for Politico said: "The European Commission is temporarily holding the fire on a retaliation package against Britain as it hopes for positive developments in Northern Ireland talks this week. The presentation of draft sanctions package to EU countries was previously announced for this week."

       Earlier today, it was reported the European Union could turn the tables on the UK and go "nuclear" in a move that could blow a huge hole in the UK fishing industry as Brexit Britain's threat of triggering Article 16 edges closer.

       Catherine Barnard, professor of EU law at Trinity College, Cambridge, said: “A trade war is a serious possibility. The EU is looking at a range of options – they are exploring routes to take retaliatory measures quickly.”

       But EU chiefs are reportedly considering going "nuclear" themselves if the UK triggers Article 16, which would terminate the Trade and Cooperation Agreement struck between the two sides last year.

       This would give the UK a year's notice before the deal abruptly ends and send Britain tumbling into a so-called no-deal Brexit scenario that would see it trade with Europe on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms.

       She told The Independent: “It means that the EU would get its retaliation in quickly before needing to go to arbitration. The retaliation ranges from stopping fishing in EU waters to putting tariffs on UK fish going into the EU, and then tariffs on other goods. The French and other countries could also do more rigorous checks on goods coming from the UK, which could gum things up pretty quickly at the border.”

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