When Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker promised recently to “stay in touch,” it was presumed that meant the prime minister and European commission president would meet in person or speak by phone.

But it has been revealed that the senior politicians, both in their sixties, have in fact been trying to solve the Brexit stalemate by text.

Juncker has been in touch with “practically all political leaders” since the Brexit deal was defeated in the Commons on Tuesday night, a European commission spokesperson said.

Asked specifically whether he had spoken to May, he added: “I can tell you that they haven’t spoken but they are in contact – they are texting.”

Juncker also broke with convention at Christmas by sending his festive greetings to the prime minister by text messages instead of in a card.

READ MORE: Juncker hasn’t sent May a Christmas card because ‘the Brexit deal is a better gift’

One reason for the unusually short form of communication was put forward by an EU official on Wednesday.

“At this stage there is nothing more that the EU can do,” they said. “We are now waiting to hear from the UK on the intended next steps.”

While Juncker waits for a smiley emoji, May is holding face-to-face meetings with opposition parties at Westminster in a bid to find consensus on how to avoid a no-deal scenario.

Newsnight reported that Cabinet ministers in favour of a no-deal Brexit are pushing for a one-year extension to Article 50 in order to give the UK more time to prepare.

Any request to extend Article 50 requires the unanimous support for all 27 other EU member states.

And a commission spokesperson stressed that the UK government would have to “set out the reasons for such an extension.”

Negotiations over a closer relationship, a general election or second referendum are seen as the only possible circumstances in which an extension would be granted.

Meanwhile, the EU is pushing ahead with its preparations for a no-deal scenario.

French prime minister Eduoard Philippe has announced he has already implemented the country’s no-deal emergency plan.

READ MORE: Barnier: EU ready to renegotiate Brexit deal if UK ‘shifts red lines’

The commission has also dispatched its deputy secretary general on a tour of member states to coordinate no-deal preparations.

“We are taking this very seriously now as the possibility of no-deal Brexit is becoming more possible after Tuesday night,” said a spokesperson.

“We have prepared a significant package on preparedness work in December and we are now sending the deputy secretary general, who is in charge of this work, to discuss with the member states how this will proceed also combining our own preparations with the ones our member states are enacting.

“So, this work which is ongoing and it’s developing fully. We’re not taking any chances.”

READ MORE: EU ready for new talks with May after Brexit deal defeat