Boris Johnson news: Prime minister renews vow to leave EU by Halloween ‘no matter what’, amid warnings over no-deal civil unrest
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Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson has been forced to defend his support for a no-deal Brexit strategy on a trip to Wales, as the pound slumped to a two-year low against the dollar.
The new prime minister tried to woo Welsh farmers on his first visit since taking office, who face being slapped with swingeing tariffs if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal.
After receiving a frosty reception in Scotland, where he was booed by protesters, Mr Johnson was also braced for a tough meeting with Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford, who has warned a no-deal Brexit would be “catastrophic” for the country.
To follow events as they unfolded, see our live coverage below
Here is the Irish readout of the call between Leo Varadkar and Boris Johnson. Note the difference in tone - and Mr Varadkar's insistence that the Brexit deal cannot be reopened.
Boris Johnson has been urged to “stop playing Russian roulette” with the Welsh sheep industry amid warnings of mass slaughter of livestock if no-deal Brexit goes ahead.
The prime minister promised to “back Britain’s great farmers” as he arrived for his first visit to Wales since taking office, due to include a meeting with first minister Mark Drakeford, who said no-deal would be “catastrophic” for the principality.
Boris Johnson must call a border poll in the event of a hard border following Brexit, the Sinn Fein president has said.
Mary Lou McDonald is due to meet Boris Johnson and said she will remind him of his "obligations under the Good Friday and subsequent agreements including the provision for a unity referendum".
"If the British Government have factored into their calculations a hard border, then they must factor in a unity referendum as laid out in the Good Friday Agreement," she said.
"The route back for the North into the EU is clear. Irish unity is the route back to the EU.
"We will be meeting Boris Johnson in the coming days. We will remind him not only of the need to respect the wishes of the majority to remain within the EU.
"We will also remind him of his obligations under the Good Friday and subsequent agreements including the provision for a unity referendum."
Sue Hayman, shadow environment and rural affairs secretary, has accused Boris Johnson of "peddling empty promises" to the countryside.
"The Tories used to claim to be the party of farming – but not anymore," she said.
“No Deal would be disastrous for the British food and farming sectors and a direct threat to the rural economies.
"It has to be stopped – for farmers, for Wales, and for all the UK.”
Boris Johnson has clashed with his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar over the controversial Brexit backstop, as the pair spoke for the first time since the new prime minister entered Downing Street last week.
Mr Johnson told the Taoiseach that the backstop - designed to keep the Irish border open until alternative technological controls are in place - must be abolished in order to secure an agreement on the terms of UK departure from the EU.
And he warned that Brexit will happen on 31 October "come what may".
Boris Johnson's partner Carrie Symonds has received advice on her role as "First Lady" from Samantha Cameron, reports suggest.
Ms Symonds moved into Downing Street with the new PM on Monday, where the couple has chosen to take the four-bed apartment above No 11 used by both Theresa May and David Cameron.
A source told the Daily Mail: "Sam Cam has been giving Carrie some advice on living in No 10. They're friends; she wants to help her out."
Here's our piece yesterday about the couple's big move:
A top French MEP has said that “no backstop means no deal” and no agreement will be ratified without one.
Natalie Loiseau – a former French minister for European Affairs – also criticised Boris Johnson for not coming to Brussels, saying “We were all ready to work”.
On the prospect of changes to the withdrawal agreement being accepted, Ms Loiseau told BBC Radio 5 Live's Emma Barnett: “No backstop means no deal. He has to be clear with British citizens about it.”
She added: “As a member of the European Parliament, I can tell you that the European Parliament would never, never ratify a withdrawal agreement without a backstop solving the problem of the Irish border…We don't like a no deal, but a bad deal would be even worse, especially for the EU27.”
Ms Loiseau said the EU was free "August, Sundays, weekends, whenever", adding: "It's up to him.”
In a tremendous bit of timing, Boris Johnson has visited a chicken farm on his trip to Wales this afternoon.
Hopefully it wasn't too triggering for his head of comms Lee Cain (see our earlier post).
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