European leaders put onus on Boris Johnson to solve Irish border crisis

Boris Johnson has been challenged to come up with a solution for a 500km border that has become the key focus of Brexit negotiations.

Britain has been given 30 days to come up with a creative solution to the Irish border crisis holding up Brexit negotiations, leaving the UK on track to crash out of the EU with no deal.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday in Paris where Mr Macron said there would be no “reshuffling” of the withdrawal agreement — a plan already negotiated between former prime minister Theresa May’s government and the EU which includes controversial plans for an Irish “backstop”.

Mr Macron left the door open to making changes and backed the 30-day time-frame suggested by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, but said the Irish solution was “indispensable”

“We will not find a new Withdrawal Agreement within 30 days that will be very different from the existing one,” Macron said at the Elysee Palace.

In an effort to shift the blame for a potentially chaotic no deal firmly into British hands, Mr Macron said failure to reach an acceptable deal would be “a political decision to be taken by the Prime Minister, it’s not our decision”.

The 500km Irish border has become a key sticking point in negotiations. Pictured, a house near the village of Belcoo, Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, on the border with the Republic of Ireland. Picture: PAUL FAITH / AFP.

The meeting comes one day after Mr Johnson met German Chancellor Angela Merkel and she reportedly challenged him to come up with an alternative to the backstop within 30 days.

On Thursday, Ms Merkel clarified her comments, saying Britain had until the October 31 Brexit deadline to find a solution.

“I said that what one can achieve in three or two years can also be achieved in 30 days. Better said, one must say that one can also achieve it by October 31,” she said.

MORE: Behind the scenes prep for Brexit chaos

Preparations for Britain crashing out of the EU on October 31 without a deal have been significantly ramped up following Mr Johnson’s move into Number 10.

In his first speech as Prime Minister, the Conservative Brexiteer reiterated his commitment to leaving the EU and said “doubters, doomsters and gloomsters” would be proven wrong.

There are fears a no deal Brexit could lead to delays of fresh food in the UK, where one third of the food comes from Europe. Picture: Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP.

Border queues are expected at the main ports under a no deal Brexit as customs regulations will change overnight. Picture: Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP.

WHAT IS THE IRISH BACKSTOP?

Talks between the UK and EU have stalled over the backstop — an insurance policy designed to keep the 500 kilometre border open between Ireland and Northern Ireland and avoid the sectarian violence of the past.

It was first negotiated by Theresa May’s government and ensures there would be a “single EU-UK customs territory” if agreement on the future relationship between Britain and the EU is not finalised by the end of the Brexit transition period.

Northern Ireland would also remained aligned to some extra EU rules to ensure there would be seamless travel between Northern Ireland and Ireland, Full Fact reports.

Both sides stressed the backstop is only to be used in the case of very last resort, however some UK MPs fear it could mean Britain is kept in the EU indefinitely. Opposition to the plan led to the defeat of Mrs May’s withdrawal agreement in the House of Commons three times, and her eventual resignation as prime minister.

Mr Johnson has declared the backstop “dead” and said it is unacceptable because it undermines British sovereignty and the spirit of the Brexit referendum.

However European leaders have been digging in. Mr Macron said the withdrawal agreement and Irish backstop are “not just technical constraints or legal quibbling” but are “genuine, indispensable guarantees” to preserve stability in Ireland and the integrity of the single market.

Mr Johnson will have more of an opportunity to make his case at the G7 meeting in France this weekend. He will also be pressing for a US free trade deal with President Trump.

He insisted alternatives to the backstop could be found as “where there’s a will, there’s a way”.

— With wires