Monday 19 August 2019 11:07 pm | Updated: Tuesday 20 August 2019 8:48 am

Johnson sets out plan to break Brexit backstop deadlock

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 12: Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks flanked by Youth Justice Board Adviser Roy Sefa-Attakora (R) during a round table on the criminal justice system at 10 Downing Street on August 12, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Daniel Leal-Olivas – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The Prime Minister has made his first moves towards breaking the Brexit impasse, setting out his position in a letter to the head of the European Council ahead of this weekend’s G7 summit.

In the four-page letter to European Council President Donald Tusk published tonight, Johnson insisted “the backstop cannot form part of an agreed Withdrawal Agreement”, yet signalled a willingness to find a way of avoiding a no-deal Brexit on 31 October.

The PM proposed replacing the backstop with a commitment to put in place an alternative arrangement before the end of the transition period, saying it should be discussed as part of the future relationship.

This would buy both sides several months more to resolve the border issue. Under terms drawn up during Theresa May’s government, transition would run until December 2020.

In the letter, Johnson called for a “legally binding commitment” not to place infrastructure, checks and controls at the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

He acknowledged concerns about what would happen if an agreement on the border issue was not in place by the end of the transition period, and said the UK was willing to “look constructively and flexibly at what commitments might help” build confidence.

But he also ruled out a border down the Irish Sea, saying the idea of “seeing Northern Ireland gradually detached from the UK economy” was “unacceptable.”

Additionally, Johnson will meet Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Dublin in early September for Brexit talks

Earlier this evening the two men spoke for nearly an hour by phone, with both re-emphasising their opposing positions on the backstop.

According to a Downing Street spokesperson, Johnson said the Withdrawal Agreement in its current form would need to be altered as it would not get through the House of Commons.

Varadkar reiterated the EU position that the Withdrawal Agreement cannot be reopened and emphasised the importance of a legal guarantee to ensure no hard border and continued free trade on the island of Ireland.

Separately, City A.M. understands Michael Gove, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, will give parliament regular updates on the preparations for a no-deal Brexit, starting on the first day back on 3 September.

A government source said Gove will speak as often as weekly thereafter, ensuring proper scrutiny of no-deal planning.