The Irish backstop is 'dead', say Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt as they seek to reopen Brexit talks with EUBoth frontrunner Boris Johnson and underdog Jeremy Hunt said on Monday that they would not be willing to accept the so-called Northern Irish backstop element of outgoing UK Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal, even if a time limit was set. Conservative Party leadership contender Jeremy Hunt (Joe Giddens/PA)Asked during a leadership debate whether the backstop would be acceptable if a time limit could be agreed, both Johnson and Hunt said it would not. "I'm not attracted to time limits or unilateral escape hatches or all these elaborate devices, glosses, codicils and so on that you could apply to the backstop," Johnson said during a leadership debate organised by the Sun newspaper and TalkRadio. Hunt agreed, adding: "The backstop, as it is, is dead ... I don't think tweaking it with a time limit will do the trick, we've got to find a new way."

Source: Irish Independent July 15, 2019 21:00 UTC