Johnson to meet Macron as French president downplays backstop hopes
Mr Johnson has said that the backstop - which aims to prevent a hard Irish border after Brexit - must be ditched if a no-deal exit from the EU is to be avoided.
BBC political correspondent Ben Wright said Mr Johnson was likely to get a"chillier reception" from Mr Macron, who sees Brexit as"contaminating the whole European project" and wants it over and done with. But for three years the EU has been unpersuaded that any technical solutions currently available would eliminate the need for a backstop to be in the withdrawal agreement.
President Macron is clearly losing patience with the Brexit crisis and has bluntly said the deal is closed. French officials said if the UK requested an extension in order to hold a new election, the EU would probably grant it.
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