Boris Johnson tells Irish PM Leo Varadkar to ditch backstop in tense phone clash as he FINALLY chats to him amid Brexit spat
BORIS Johnson has clashed with Ireland's Leo Varadkar today as the pair held their first talks since he became PM.
The two leaders finally had a phone-call this afternoon where Boris vowed he would "never" put up a hard border in Northern Ireland for fears of a return to violence.
In a tense chat he told Mr Varadkar that Britain is leaving the EU by the end of October no matter what, and insisted that he won't accept a deal with the hated backstop in it.
The PM urged him to get Brussels to look again at re-opening the withdrawal agreement, and that his "clear preference" is to leave with an agreement.
A No10 spokesperson said: "The Prime Minister made clear that the government will approach any negotiations which take place with determination and energy and in a spirit of friendship, and that his clear preference is to leave the EU with a deal, but it must be one that abolishes the backstop.
"He said that in all scenarios, the Government will be steadfast in its commitment to the Belfast Agreement and will never put physical checks or physical infrastructure on the border."
Boris thinks that alternative arrangements for Northern Ireland will be possible to solve the border situation - which could involve checks but no actual border.
But Mr Varadkar said that the backstop, which stops a hard border by keeping the UK in a customs union, is "necessary as a consequence" of UK decisions.
Slapping down his calls, he said that there was no such solution for the Irish border yet.
"Alternative arrangements could replace the backstop in the future, as envisaged in the Withdrawal Agreement and the Political Declaration on the future relationship, but thus far satisfactory options have yet to be identified and demonstrated," a spokesperson from Dublin said.
And blaming the UK for the impasse which has kept us in the EU for an extra four months, he said that "the EU was united in its view that the Withdrawal Agreement could not be re-opened".
He invited Boris to Dublin for face-to-face talks on how to find a solution.
Boris has held talks with Germany's Angela Merkel, France's Emmanuel Macron and EU boss Jean Claude Juncker.
However, he's been criticised for not ringing Mr Varadkar given that the stalemate centres around the Irish border.
What is the Brexit backstop and what does it mean for the Irish border?
The backstop plan is essentially a safety net for Nothern Ireland if there is no Brexit trade deal.
It would avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which has long been a spot for violence as seen during the troubles.
And it would ensure that no "tariffs, quotas, rules of origin or customs processes" would be applied to UK-EU trade - keeping Britain in a single customs territory with the EU.
This would also leave Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods - meaning goods crossing the border would not be subject to checks for customs or product standards.
That would then mean a border in the Irish sea for goods checks, leaving Northern Ireland separated from the rest of the UK.
Essentially, the backstop ties the UK to the EU's rules and procedures, even though we're technically outside of the bloc.
The EU think we're getting a good deal by staying close but technically being out, but Brits are fuming we'll be unable to strike out alone and will be bound by the bloc's rules for years to come.
There's no time limit on the backstop either, so it could exist indefinitely and tie us in limbo forever.
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The call came on the day that the pound took another dip as fears of a No Deal Brexit grow.
Boris is on a whistle-stop tour of the UK this week - and will be in Northern Ireland tomorrow.
Today he's in Wales visiting farmers and promising them new opportunities and trade outside the bloc.
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