Who is Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar? Taoiseach and the leader of Final Gael party

IRELAND'S Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is due to meet with Boris Johnson in "private" talks over Brexit.

Here's what we know about Ireland's youngest ever Prime Minister - and what he thinks about the UK leaving Europe.

Who is Irish PM Leo Varadkar?

Leo Varadkar, 40, became Ireland's Prime Minister on June 14, 2017.

He was appointed on a 57-50 vote with 47 abstentions.

The qualified doctor is the firstly openly gay Taoiseach and the youngest, and was a prominent advocate of the same-sex marriage referendum in 2015.

During an interview on RTÉ Radio on his 36th birthday, Varadkar spoke publicly for the first time about being gay saying: "It's not something that defines me."

Referring to his background, he added: "I'm not a half-Indian politician, or a doctor politician or a gay politician for that matter. It's just part of who I am, it doesn't define me, it is part of my character I suppose."

One of Varadkar's first acts as Taoiseach was to announce a referendum on abortion for 2018.

But his approach to Brexit and the backstop have defined his time in office as Britain and the EU continue to try and thrash out a deal.

What are his views on Brexit and the Irish backstop?

The Irish PM has repeatedly said he will not budge on the Irish backstop.

Dublin has warned that Irish people face a “disruption to daily life” and a “permanent reduction in the size of the economy” if no agreement is in place.

Varadkar has rejected Boris Johnson's proposed Brexit deal, saying it "falls short on a number of aspects".

Addressing reporters on a trip to Sweden, he said: “All the polls since Prime Minister Johnson became prime minister suggest that's what the British people actually want, but their political system isn't able to give them that choice.”

What did Varadkar say to Johnson about Brexit?

During earlier talks, Leo Varadkar said the PM had a "Herculean" task on his hands with regards to leaving the EU with a deal.

He said: "If there is a deal, and I think it’s possible, we’ll enter talks on a future relationship agreement between European Union and the UK."

The Taoiseach described the task ahead as "very tough" but said Ireland wanted to be Britain's "friend" and "ally".

Mr Varadkar also appealed to the PM's love of Winston Churchill and the classics, with an Irish anecdote about Britain's great wartime leader after referring to Ireland as the UK's "Athena".

The Irish and UK leaders are due to meet today, October 10, to discuss the Brexit proposals in a lunchtime meeting in Merseyside.

The meeting will be held in private and Number 10 has not released details of where the meeting will actually take place.

Mr Johnson said he remained "cautiously optimistic" about the possibility of striking a deal.

However Mr Varadkar suggested on October 8 that it would be "very difficult" for the UK and the EU to reach an agreement before the deadline of October 31.

Who's his partner Matthew Barrett?

Dr Matthew Barrett is a cardiologist based in Dublin, who previously worked in Chicago.

Barrett accompanied Varadkar on an official visit to the United States in March 2019.

They tend to keep their relationship out of the spotlight, but are believed to have been together for around four years.