Axe 鈥業rish backstop鈥 or it鈥檚 a no-deal Brexit: Johnson
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Britain wants to do a swift Brexit deal but the 鈥渦ndemocratic鈥 Irish border backstop must be axed in full to prevent a no-deal exit, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told German Chancellor Angela Merkel late Wednesday (Germany time) at the German Chancellery in Berlin.
More than three years after the United Kingdom voted to quit the European Union, it is still unclear on what terms, or indeed whether, the bloc鈥檚 second-largest economy will leave the club it joined in 1973.
Johnson, a Brexiteer who won the premiership a month ago, is betting that the threat of 鈥渘o-deal鈥 Brexit turmoil will convince Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron that the EU should do a last-minute deal to suit his demands.
鈥淭here is an ample scope to do a deal,鈥 Johnson said. 鈥淚 just want to be absolutely clear with all our German friends and with the German government that we in the UK want a deal.
鈥淲e do need that backstop removed,鈥 Johnson said beside Merkel. 鈥淏ut if we can do that then I鈥檓 absolutely certain we can move forward together.鈥
But with just over 10 weeks until the scheduled departure, the EU has repeatedly said it will not renegotiate the Withdrawal Agreement struck by Johnson鈥檚 predecessor, Theresa May, and that it will stand behind member state Ireland.
As Johnson arrived, protesters outside the Chancellery gates shouted: 鈥淪top Brexit.鈥
Merkel has promised to discuss 鈥減ractical solutions鈥 to the Irish border insurance policy or 鈥渂ackstop鈥 that Johnson says is unacceptable. But she said the Withdrawal Agreement would not be reopened.
Ahead of his first foreign trip as PM, Johnson said the EU was being 鈥渁 bit negative.鈥
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