Backstop is not up for renegotiation – Irish PM

The Brexit stalemate looks set to continue after the Irish government said the backstop would not be up for renegotiation at a planned meeting between Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar.

The two prime ministers will meet early next month but a spokesman for Varadkar said there was no prospect of a rethink on the most contentious part of the withdrawal agreement.

Johnson has been invited by the taoiseach to Dublin with “no preconditions” but the Irish government is keen to avoid any ambiguity.

The meeting will come at a crucial time with MPs who want to avoid a no deal seeking to build a coalition in parliament to block the government from that path.

A spokesman for the Taoiseach said. “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.”

The UK Government has said any new negotiations must focus on developing an alternative to the withdrawal agreement.

Via The Guardian