Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar have clashed over the Irish backstop in their first phone call, with the taoiseach saying the EU is united in the view that it cannot be scrapped and the withdrawal agreement will not be reopened.
Johnson finally spoke to Varadkar almost a week after becoming prime minister, telling him the UK would never put physical checks or infrastructure at the border with Northern Ireland after Brexit but demanding the backstop be scrapped.
The British prime minister had been accused of snubbing his Irish counterpart by leaving it so long to speak to him, even though Varadkar will be central to whether he can agree a new withdrawal deal with the EU.
A spokesman for Varadkar said: “The taoiseach emphasised to the prime minister that the backstop was necessary as a consequence of decisions taken in the UK and by the UK government.
“Noting that the Brexit negotiations take place between the UK and the EU, the taoiseach explained that the EU was united in its view that the withdrawal agreement could not be reopened.
“Alternative arrangements could replace the backstop in the future, as envisaged in the withdrawal agreement and the political declaration on the future relationship, but thus far satisfactory options have yet to be identified and demonstrated.”
An Irish government spokesman added: “The taoiseach restated the need for both governments to be fully committed to the Good Friday agreement, the protection of the peace process and the restoration of the Northern Ireland institutions.
“He recalled that the agreement requires the sovereign government to exercise power with rigorous impartiality on behalf of all the people in full respect for their rights, equality, parity of esteem and just and equal treatment for the identity, ethos and aspirations of both communities.”
Varadkar invited Johnson to Dublin for further talks on Brexit.
A No 10 spokesman said both leaders committed themselves to maintaining a warm and deep relationship between Ireland and the UK.
But Johnson made clear his view the UK would be leaving the EU on 31 October regardless of whether a deal was struck and that any new agreement must be “one that abolishes the backstop”.
Varadkar has ruled out a deal without the backstop, which Eurosceptic Tory MPs refused to vote for because they argued it could indefinitely trap the UK in a customs union after the end of the transitional period.
Ireland regards the backstop as integral to preventing a return to a hard border with Northern Ireland if new customs arrangements have not been put in place by the time the UK leaves.
The No 10 spokesman said: “On Brexit, the prime minister made clear that the UK will be leaving the EU on 31 October, no matter what. He said that in all scenarios, the government will be steadfast in its commitment to the Belfast agreement and will never put physical checks or physical infrastructure on the border.”
Pressed later on where he would compromise with Ireland, Johnson said it had been a “very good conversation”.
“What we are willing to do … we’re willing to make absolutely clear what is the case, that the UK under no circumstances will have checks at the border in Northern Ireland,” the prime minister said in a television interview.
“We will throw all our energies into sorting out the problems of frictionless trade at the border. We can do it. We have all the sorts of technological solutions that are necessary to do it. But let’s solve those issues in the context of the free trade agreement that we’re going to do after we come out on 31 October, that’s what we want to do.”
Johnson has not yet put forward a clear proposal for replacing the backstop but some senior Tory MPs believe the solution lies in “alternative arrangements”, whereby technology could be used to conduct customs checks away from the border.
He is heading to Northern Ireland for meetings on Wednesday aimed at restoring power-sharing at Stormont, which has been suspended for two and a half years. If power-sharing has not resumed by the time of a potential no-deal Brexit on 31 October, it is highly likely Westminster would have to directly rule Northern Ireland in that scenario.
