EU leaders open Brexit talks with Boris Johnson as Ireland admits new PM’s plans could cause ‘trouble’ for Europe
EUROPEAN leaders are trying to win over Boris Johnson in a last-ditch bid to stop a No Deal Brexit, it emerged today.
Multiple EU countries have opened talks with the likely next PM to work out if a compromise deal can still emerge.
But Ireland's deputy PM today struck a hard line, warning there will be "trouble" if Boris sticks to his promise to oppose the existing Brexit agreement.
Mr Johnson is expected to be announced as the new Tory leader on Tuesday and will then enter No10 on Wednesday.
Politicians from France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium have all spoken to Team Boris in recent days, .
They are keen to find common ground after he becomes PM and avoid a No Deal on October 31.
BoJo insists the current withdrawal agreement is unacceptable because of the backstop designed to avoid a hard border in Ireland.
His ally Steve Barclay, the Brexit Secretary, told Sky News today: "The current text of the Withdrawal Agreement - if nothing at all is changed - then I didn't see that going through the House of Commons.
"I think if the text isn't changed in any way, then it is difficult to envisage how that will go through the House of Commons."
But Simon Coveney, the deputy prime minister of Ireland, said: "We're simply not going to move away from that withdrawal agreement."
He added: "If the approach of the new British Prime Minister is that they're going to tear up the withdrawal agreement, then I think we're in trouble.
"We're all in trouble, quite frankly, because it's a little bit like saying, 'Either give me what I want or I'm going to burn the house down for everybody.'"
He insisted it would be possible to avoid the backstop ever taking effect but refused to consider removing it from the deal altogether.
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