UK PM Johnson spokeswoman: PM has set out a range of options as alternative to backstop

A spokeswoman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters that the PM spoke to his Dutch counterpart Rutte earlier on Tuesday and added that there was a clear understanding from the EU that Britain's commitment to leave on October 31 was absolute and the PM wanted a deal.

"Solutions to the Irish border backstop issue exist," the spokeswoman noted. "The PM has set out a range of options as an alternative to the backstop."

Meanwhile, the GBP/USD pair continues to trade near the session high that it set at 1.2271 in the last hour.