Brexit latest: Ireland tells Boris Johnson 'the backstop is not up for negotiation' ahead of PM's meeting with Leo Varadkar

Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar are set to meet in September
PA
Jacob Jarvis11 August 2019
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar will not negotiate the controversial Brexit backstop in an upcoming meeting with Boris Johnson, his spokesman has said.

The meeting Mr Johnson and Mr Varadkar, set for early September, will focus on the Brexit impasse.

However, Dublin was keen to stress that changes to the withdrawal agreement and the contentious backstop would not be countenanced.

Mr Johnson has insisted a Brexit deal is only possible if the backstop is scrapped.

A spokesman for the Taoiseach said on Sunday: "As has repeatedly been made clear, the withdrawal agreement and the backstop are not up for negotiation.

"Any discussions on changes to the political declaration would occur between the UK and the EU."

The UK Government has said any new negotiations must focus on developing an alternative to the withdrawal agreement.

EU leaders insist the deal cannot be reopened.

However, they have said they will engage on potential amendments to the political declaration on the future relationship between the UK and the bloc.

Last week, Mr Varadkar said the invite to Mr Johnson to join him in Dublin for talks on Brexit and other issues had "no preconditions".

The contentious backstop mechanism is an insurance policy written into the withdrawal treaty that will ensure, come what may in future trade talks, that the Irish border will remain free-flowing post-Brexit.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson - In pictures

PMQ session in London
1/57

It would see the UK, as a whole, enter into a customs union with the EU for an indefinite period and also see Northern Ireland adhere to EU single market rules on goods.

Mr Johnson has frequently called for its abolition and used his first speech in the Commons as PM to do so.

He referenced it recently as he stated he still believed it was possible to find an agreement by October 31.

However, he said there were "conversations going on the whole time", suggesting a new agreement could found if the EU showed "flexibility" on the issue.

"That is the problem, it's totally unacceptable, we need change on that, once we get change on that I think we're at the races and I think there's a good deal to be done," he said in a BBC interview on Thursday.

"We can't go down that route, but there's every possibility for the EU to show flexibility and there's bags of time for them to do it and I'm confident they will."

The EU has continually insisted the withdrawal agreement is not up for debate though and leaders have stood by the backstop remaining and its chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, has previously criticised Mr Johnson's stance on the matter.

​Though the PM has expressed his belief he can secure a deal, Downing Street has cancelled all leave for Government advisers in the run up to Brexit day, fuelling election speculation.

No holidays should be booked until the end of October for the advisers, Boris Johnson’s chief strategic adviser Sir Edward Lister said in an email to inform special advisers on Thursday afternoon.

While the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove, said The Government is prepares to spend "whatever it takes" in order for Britain to be ready for a no deal Brexit, though he still believes attaining a deal is "eminently doable".

Away from Brexit, Mr Johnson has recently vowed to “come down hard" on crime as he announced an extension of police stop-and-search powers and tougher sentences for violent criminals.

The PM said he wants to end the automatic release of prisoners who have served half their sentence.

He expressed his determination to tackle rising levels of knife crime amid the impression of a growing “culture of insolence" among "thugs" who believed they could act with impunity.

At the same time, he said the Government would be investing £2.5 billion in creating 10,000 new prison places to ensure serious violent and sexual offenders got the sentence they deserved.

According to the Telegraph, Mr Johnson will meet with police chiefs, prosecutors, former judges and prison bosses at No10 on Monday.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in