Boris Johnson’s chief Brexit negotiator heads to Brussels for talks as no-deal deadline looms

Boris Johnson’s chief Brexit negotiator is heading to Brussels on Wednesday for his first meeting with the EU since the prime minister set himself a 30-day deadline to solve the Irish border problem.

Despite a shift in rhetoric from the European Union in recent weeks, the PM’s mediator David Frost is expected to be told that any replacement for the controversial backstop must be compatible with Theresa May’s border mechanism, which Mr Johnson has said must be scrapped.

The meetings with Michel Barnier’s team follow visits to Paris and Berlin by the prime minister as part of his attempt to shift EU opinion on the policy, which was voted down by parliament three times.

Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel both emphasised their willingness to work with the UK and said they were open to a solution, but crucially left their fundamental red lines unchanged.

A senior UK government source put on a brave face on Tuesday afternoon and said there had been a “rhetorical shift” from Brussels in recent weeks, meaning there was now room “to prise open a space for negotiations”.

But despite the shift in mood music coming from EU leaders and the European Commission, officials were keen to stress that any change must be “compatible with the withdrawal agreement” – a signal that the fundamentals of the deal would not be reopened.

“We have been saying that we stand ready to engage constructively with the UK on any concrete proposals that are compatible with the withdrawal agreement,” a spokesperson for the European Commission told reporters in Brussels.

The spokesperson welcomed a proposal, drawn up by an independent taskforce, calling for the backstop to be replaced with “EU trade centres”, but said it was for the UK government to bring forward its own plans.

“We have seen these ideas. Of course it’s good that there is a vibrant discussion and that ideas are being put forward but it is up to the UK government to come forward with complete proposals that are compatible with the withdrawal agreement, which would be the basis for anything we analyse,” she said.

A UK government spokesperson said: “We are ready to negotiate in good faith an alternative to the backstop with provisions to ensure the Irish border issues are dealt with where they should always have been: in the negotiations on the future agreement between the UK and EU.

“The UK government is working at pace to find a wide range of flexible and creative solutions to the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland.”

Mr Johnson spoke with the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, on the phone ahead of the meeting, the second time the pair of leaders have spoken since the prime minister took office. The PM also met with European Council president Donald Tusk at the G7 summit over the weekend.

During Tuesday evening's phone conversation Mr Juncker "repeated his willingness to work constructively with prime minister Johnson and to look at any concrete proposals he may have, as long as they are compatible with the withdrawal agreement," a Commission spokesperson said.

Mr Juncker was said to have "underlined that the EU27's support for Ireland was "steadfast" and said a no-deal Brexit would "only ever been the UK's decision, not the EU's".

A UK spokesperson's account of the call said the pair had a "positive and substantive conversation". According to the spokesperson Mr Johnson said "that unless the Withdrawal Agreement is reopened and the backstop abolished there is no prospect" of a Brexit deal.

Mr Johnson also spoke to Prime Minister Rutte of the Netherlands, Prime Minister Muscat of Malta, Prime Minister Borissov of Bulgaria, President Iohannis of Romania, and Prime Minister Babis of the Czech Republic in a round of calls to EU leaders today.

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The prime minister over the bank holiday weekend talked up the prospect of no deal, telling broadcasters it was “touch and go” whether the UK could secure an agreement with Brussels and member states.

He also warned that the UK could withhold some of its divorce payments from Brussels in the event of a no deal, suggesting it was not “strictly speaking owed” if Britain crashed out.

The comments sparked anger among EU figures. Guy Verhofstadt, the European parliament’s Brexit coordinator, warned: “If the UK doesn’t pay what is due, the EU will not negotiate a trade deal. After a ‘no deal’, this will be a first condition of any talks. Britain is better than this.”

The Commission has also previously stated that the EU would not negotiate with the UK after a no deal until the issues of the withdrawal agreement were solved: the divorce bill, the Irish border and citizens’ rights.