About: Irish backstop
EU repeats legal warning to UK over treaty breach
The European Commission has repeated its warning of legal action unless the UK government withdraws its controversial Internal Market Bill which would break the Withdrawal Agreement that took the UK out of the bloc in January, Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič said on Monday (28 September).
Johnson survives Tory rebellion as bill breaking Brexit deal advances
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson survived a rebellion by more than 30 Conservative lawmakers on Monday night (14 September) as his controversial Internal Market bill moved a step closer to becoming law.
MEPs vow to veto UK trade pact if its breaks Withdrawal Agreement
EU lawmakers threatened on Friday (11 September) to veto any trade deal with the UK unless Boris Johnson’s government withdraws its plans to tear up parts of its Withdrawal Agreement with the bloc, as negotiations on a future trade deal teetered on the brink of collapse.
EU issues ultimatum to UK: withdraw bill or trade talks collapse
The EU issued a stern ultimatum to the UK on Thursday (10 September) to withdraw its bill overriding the Irish Protocol or talks on an EU-UK trade deal will collapse.
Johnson’s plan to break Brexit agreement triggers angry EU backlash
Boris Johnson’s UK government put itself on collision course with the EU on Wednesday after publishing a bill that would breach key parts of its Withdrawal Agreement with the bloc.
UK plans to break Withdrawal Agreement, senior minister confirms
The UK is preparing to break the terms of its Withdrawal Agreement with the EU if it does not secure a new trade deal with the bloc before the end of 2020, a senior government minister confirmed on Tuesday (8...
Johnson threatens to override Irish protocol ahead of EU-UK trade talks
Turning up the pressure on the EU, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is threatening to table new legislation and override requirements for new Northern Ireland customs arrangements, intended to prevent the return of checks at the Irish border from next year.
UK accepts customs checks in plans for Northern Ireland protocol
The UK has accepted that there will be new checks on some goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK, according to the plans it set out on Wednesday (20 May) to implement the controversial protocol on the province
Ireland, May and disloyalty the main causes of Brexit impasse, says senior Tory
The United Kingdom simply underestimated Ireland's clout and the importance of the border backstop. Add to that Theresa May's unpopularity and cabinet disloyalty and you have all the main causes of the mess Brexit turned into, according to one of the ex-prime minister's key allies in government.
Labour uses leaked document to accuse Johnson of lying about post-Brexit customs checks
The opposition Labour party has used a leaked government document to accuse Boris Johnson of lying about new customs checks between Northern Ireland and Britain..
Brexit deal within reach in last-ditch talks, but doubts remain
Britain and the EU made headway on Tuesday (15 October) in last-ditch talks on a Brexit deal ahead of a leaders' summit, but with just hours left to clinch an agreement it was still unclear if London could avoid postponing its scheduled departure on 31 October.
New Brexit hopes after Johnson and Varadkar say ‘pathway to deal’ exists
Hopes of a Brexit deal were dramatically revived on Thursday (10 October) following three hours of talks between Boris Johnson and Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
Britain’s Brexit talks with EU on verge of collapse
Brexit talks between Britain and the European Union teetered on the brink of collapse on Tuesday (8 October), with tit-for-tat claims of intransigence and sabotage before an end of October deadline.
EU says Britain needs new plan as Brexit clock runs out
European officials warned Monday (6 October) that Britain's latest Brexit proposal cannot serve as a basis for a breakthrough before next week's Brussels summit.
‘We are European’, says Johnson as he softens tone on Brexit plans
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson struck a conciliatory tone towards the EU on Wednesday (2 October) as he set out his government’s new alternative to the Irish backstop.
Ireland dismisses reported UK Brexit border proposal
Britain is proposing to set up "customs clearance centres" on both sides of the Irish border after Brexit, Irish national broadcaster RTE reported on Monday (30 September), an idea Ireland's foreign minister quickly dismissed as a "non-starter".
No Brexit breakthrough as Tusk, Johnson meet in New York
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reiterated a call for "flexibility" from the EU in Brexit talks during a meeting with Council President Donald Tusk in New York Monday (23 September) that failed to yield a breakthrough.
Northern Ireland’s DUP calls for Brexit ‘refit’ of Good Friday Agreement
Northern Ireland's largest party, the Democratic Unionist Party, on Wednesday called for a "refit" of the British province's 1998 peace accord "to take account of any new Brexit deal."
Irish backstop must be part of Brexit deal, says EU Parliament chief
There will be no Brexit deal without an Irish backstop, European Parliament President David Sassoli said on Thursday (12 September). However, the EU is willing to revive a proposal that would keep only Northern Ireland in the bloc’s orbit to...
‘Donnez-moi un break’: Johnson says he seeks Brexit deal
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted Tuesday (10 September) he was working hard to strike a divorce deal with the European Union, after he suspended parliament following a series of bruising clashes with MPs over his Brexit plan.
Johnson tells parliament: You can tie my hands, but I will not delay Brexit
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday (10 September) he would not request an extension to Brexit, hours after a law came into force demanding that he delay Britain's departure from the European Union until 2020 unless he can strike a divorce deal.
Johnson mulls snap election as MPs seek to block no-deal Brexit
Boris Johnson is moving closer to calling a snap election this week, if UK lawmakers adopt legislation aimed at preventing a No Deal Brexit.
Boris Johnson starts the long Brexit campaign
August is typically the month when Westminster goes silent and lawmakers go on holiday, leaving reporters to fall back on stories about the holiday plans of the royal family. This summer, with the Brexit date approaching fast, has been much more hectic.