Brexit news: Boris Johnson accepts 30-day deadline to replace Irish backstop, as EU unites against British PM
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Boris Johnson has arrived in Berlin to hold crunch talks with Angela Merkel as the EU closed ranks in opposition to his Brexit demands.
In his first European trip as prime minister, Mr Johnson attended a meeting with the German chancellor, where he was expected to spell out his commitment to taking the UK out of the EU on 31 October, with or without a deal.
It comes as Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney warned no deal was more likely than ever, a view echoed by the French government, according to diplomatic sources.
Here's how we covered developments as they happened:
Norbert Rottgen, chairman of the German parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, has said it is "not realistic" to expect an alternative solution to replace the backstop to be found in the next 30 days.
Rottgen told Channel 4 News: "I can only state the reality that so far and since years now, nobody has found a solution so far.
"I think we can realistically expect this mechanism to be found in one year, two years, or three years, but I think it is not realistic to expect this to be found in the next 30 days, what has not been found in the last three years."
He added: "The principle means the backstop is only an insurance policy, so only as long as we haven't found anything it will be applied, if ever. So we are really determined and committed to finding a solution to make this backstop unnecessary."
The SNP's Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, has called on MPs to take "take every step necessary" to stop Brexit.
He issued this statement this afternoon, after Jeremy Corbyn invited cross-party leaders to a meeting about blocking no-deal next week:
Boris Johnson is taking the UK towards a Brexit disaster. With time running out, it is now vital that MPs take every step necessary to stop Brexit and block a catastrophic No-Deal.
All options must be on the table. The SNP stands ready to pursue every avenue, including passing legislation to block no-deal and a vote of no confidence in the Tory government.
Any form of Brexit would be devastating for Scotland, and crashing out of the EU with no deal threatens to destroy 100,000 jobs and cost every person in the country £2,300 a year.
Scotland did not vote for Brexit and we will not be left at the whim of Westminster. People in Scotland deserve the choice of a better future than the Brexit Britain being imposed on us.
It is clearer than ever that the only way to properly protect Scotland's interests is by becoming an equal and independent European country. Preparations for a fresh referendum will continue so the people of Scotland will have that choice.
A no-deal Brexit would be the UK's own fault and not that of the European Union, Emmanuel Macron has said.
The French president also warned any trade deal between Britain and the US would not mitigate the economic cost of crashing out of the EU.
"Can [the cost of a hard Brexit] be offset by the United States of America? No," he told reporters. "And even if it were a strategic choice it would be at the cost of an historic vassalisation of Britain."
"I don't think this is what Boris Johnson wants. I don't think it is what the British people want."
"The British are attached to being a great power, a member of the Security Council. The point can't be to exit Europe and say 'we'll be stronger', before in the end, becoming the junior partner of the United States, which are acting more and more hegemonically.
Macron said he saw no reason to grant a further delay to Brexit unless there was a significant political change in the UK, such as elections or a new referendum.
Speaking of the possibility of a no-deal Brexit, Macron said: "That would be Britain's doing, always."
Earlier today, an official in Macron's office said France now saw a no-deal as the most likely scenario.
Boris Johnson went to Berlin to demand the impossible and state the palpably untrue - but no one swallowed a word of it, writes Tom Peck in today's sketch:
Thousands of people have signed up for a Brexit Day beach party in a Dutch village which looks across the North Sea, reports my colleague Colin Drury.
“It will be a nice goodbye to a good friend who is going on an exciting adventure, but is perhaps not too bright,” said one of the organisers.
No-deal Brexit followed by recession, a plummeting pound and rising inflation is now the most likely outcome of the government’s strategy for leaving the EU, according to Barclays analysts.
Business reporter Ben Chapman has the full story:
A post-Brexit trade deal with the US would be "highly unlikely" if there is a hard border on the island of Ireland, Boris Johnson has been warned by a group of American politicians.
Henry Austin has the fully story:
British car makers and potters could be in line for a boost following a trade agreement that will allow the UK and South Korea to keep trading freely after Brexit.
The UK and South Korea will tomorrow sign a continuity Free Trade Agreement that will allow firms to continuing doing business if the UK leaves the European Union on 31 October.
International trade secretary Liz Truss and South Korean trade minister Yoo Myung-Hee are meet in London to sign the agreement.
The annual trade flows between the two countries was worth £14.6 billion last year.
This agreement has been welcomed by UK car manufacturer Bentley, as well as by ceramics company Denby Pottery Company, who say it will bring stability and protect markets.
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