Donald Tusk rebuffs Boris Johnson’s bid to reopen Irish backstop talks
The backstop would guarantee no checks or infrastructure on the frontier between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
20 August 2019 - 16:47
Brussels — The EU poured cold water on Boris Johnson’s attempt to renegotiate the Brexit deal, saying the so-called backstop to prevent a hard Irish border — which the British prime minister wants scrapped — was a vital part of the divorce agreement.
It means that with just over two months to go until Johnson has said the UK will leave the bloc, “do or die,” the two sides are completely deadlocked — with Britain on course to leave on October 31 without the safety net of an agreement and a transition phase to smooth the process...
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