Brexit: Varadkar warns Boris Johnson there will be no renegotiation on Irish backstop ahead of crunch meeting

Mr Varadkar’s office said there would be no movement on the Irish backstop and the Taoiseach's position 'has repeatedly been made clear'

Vincent Wood
Sunday 11 August 2019 19:57 BST
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The Taoiseach is set to meet with Mr Johnson in early September
The Taoiseach is set to meet with Mr Johnson in early September

Irish premier Leo Varadkar has struck down one of the cornerstones of Boris Johnson’s plan to leave the EU with a deal by 31 October ahead of a meeting between the two leaders next month.

Last week the Irish Taoiseach invited Mr Johnson to visit him in Dublin to discuss Brexit and other issues between the two countries, but last night Mr Varadkar’s office insisted once again that there would be no movement on the Irish backstop – stating the point “has repeatedly been made clear”.

A spokesman added: “The withdrawal agreement and the backstop are not up for negotiation.”

He went on to reaffirm that the prime minister could seek to tweak the political declaration – a second document which outlines the future relationship between London and Brussels - but such discussions "would occur between the UK and the EU" at large.

The comments echo the sentiments of EU officials, who have argued the withdrawal agreement was set in stone since its establishment after two years of negotiations.

Asked in June how Boris Johnson’s premiership might impact the future arrangement between London and Brussels, European Council president Donald Tusk said: “Maybe the process of Brexit will be even more exciting than before because of some personnel decisions in London, but nothing has changed when it comes to our position”.

The backstop is woven into the withdrawal agreement brokered under Theresa May, and would see the UK enter into a customs agreement in the EU, while Northern Ireland would continue to operate under the rules of the single market.

EU representatives have argued it is the best way to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, ensuring the free movement of people and goods, and keeping in line with the Good Friday agreement which signalled the end of years of sectarian conflict in the area in 1998.

It proved to be a thorn in the side of Ms May, who lost four successive commons votes on the agreement with many of her own party members citing the backstop, which will last for an indefinite period of time, as a key reason for their dissent.

The issue, which played a key role in her resignation, was taken up by Mr Johnson during his campaign to move into Downing Street.

In his first speech from Number 10, he said that he was “convinced that we can do a deal without checks at the Irish border, because we refuse under any circumstances to have such checks and yet without that anti-democratic backstop”.

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