Macron tells Prime Minister the backstop must stay but leaves door open for limited changes
THE French President has warned Boris Johnson that the EU will not tear up the Brexit deal negotiated by Theresa May.
Emmanuel Macron told the Prime Minister there could not be a “reshuffling” of the withdrawal agreement, but he left open the possibility of making some changes to the deal.
Mr Macron backed the 30-day timescale suggested by German leader Angela Merkel on Wednesday for the UK to come forward with proposals, but warned the backstop, the major stumbling block, was indispensable.
“We will not find a new withdrawal agreement within 30 days that will be very different from the existing one,” he said as he spoke alongside the Prime Minister at Elysee Palace in Paris.
Mrs Merkel sought to play down the importance of the 30-day period idea floated on Wednesday, saying it was merely “an allegory for being able to do it in a short period of time”.
Speaking to reporters in the Netherlands, she said “it would be better to say one can achieve that by October 31”.
In a bid to avoid the EU being blamed if a no-deal Brexit is the outcome on October 31, 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”.
Mr Johnson has demanded the backstop, the contingency plan aimed at ensuring a soft border with Ireland in all circumstances, should be scrapped.
Mr Macron said the withdrawal agreement and backstop were “not just technical constraints or legal quibbling” but were “genuine, indispensable guarantees” to preserve stability in Ireland and the integrity of the single market.
He said the EU had “always said that it was available to discuss, depending on the wishes of the UK, our future relationship”.
The two leaders were speaking ahead of their formal talks at the Elysee Palace.
Mr Johnson stressed while he wants an agreement, the UK “must come out of the EU on October 31, deal or no deal” and insisted alternatives to the backstop could be found.