Boris Johnson to hold showdown Brexit talks with Leo Varadkar but Irish PM insists he will not budge on backstop
BORIS Johnson will hold showdown Brexit talks with Leo Varadkar – but the Irish PM insists he will not budge on the backstop.
The two leaders will discuss the Brexit row and the Irish border issue during the crunch meeting scheduled in Dublin in early September.
Boris has demanded the controversial Irish backstop is torn up before doing any new Brexit deal.
And he is braced for a furious row at the showdown after Mr Varadkar’s spokesman last night insisted the backstop is not up for renegotiation.
A spokesman for the Irish PM – known as the Taoiseach - said: “The Taoiseach has invited the British Prime Minister to Dublin for talks on Northern Ireland and Brexit.
“Their offices are in contact to agree a date for these talks in the coming weeks.
“Such a meeting would give both sides an opportunity to gain a better understanding of their respective positions.
'NOT UP FOR NEGOTIATION'
“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.”
No10 insiders said Mr Johnson remains 100 per cent committed to his vow to quit the EU without a deal unless the backstop is ditched.
Their meeting comes after a string of gloomy warnings about the damaging impact a No Deal will have on Ireland.
In a report last week, the Irish Government admitted it faces a “sharp” economic downturn unless it does a deal with Britain.
While the Irish Central Bank warned the country could be struck by severe food and medicine shortages and mayhem at ports.
Mr Johnson has insisted he wants a new deal with Brussels. But he has warned Britain is quitting on October 31 “do or die” unless the backstop goes.
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