Macron backs further Brexit talks as British Prime Minister visits

French leader Emmanuel Macron backed the idea of further talks to find a solution to Brexit while ruling out major concessions as he met British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday. Like German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday, Macron supported allowing another 30 days to find a solution to the vexed issue of the Irish border which has bedevilled negotiations since 2017.

“We need to try to have a useful month,” Macron said alongside Johnson who insisted that solutions were “readily available” to prevent checkpoints returning in divided Ireland. But the French leader, who admitted he had a reputation as the “hardest in the gang” on Brexit, has rejected Johnson’s calls to scrap a key arrangement for Ireland negotiated between the EU and former British premier Theresa May.

At stake is the so-called “backstop”, which is a provision guaranteeing that border checks will not return between EU member Ireland and Northern Ireland which is part of Britain. The backstop provided “indispensible guarantees to preserve stability in Ireland and the integrity of the single market,” Macron added.

Johnson wants the backstop removed and has called it “anti-democratic” because it will require London to keep its regulations aligned with the EU during a transitional period when the country is no longer a member of the bloc. “The technical solutions are readily available (to avoid checkpoints) and they have been discussed at great length,” Johnson said.