Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has claimed Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees Mogg admitted to him he didn’t know what the Irish border was.

Lots of requests for a step-by-step explanation of Johnson's plans to breach Protocol on Irish border. / No problem. And by the end, you'll understand why this man is totally unfit to hold public office.

The plan has brought some Tory unity, but Brussels believes it is unworkable.

Near one of the scores of small crossings on the border, a yellow digger stands as a monument to the lengths communities went to to keep roads open during the Troubles.

Brexit negotiations "have been difficult" and "no solution has been identified" to the Irish backstop, the European Commission has said.

Several backbenchers, including Remain voters, are detecting the beginnings of a shift in the party.

The backstop element of the Brexit plan is "not going to change", Ireland's deputy prime minister has said.

'It doesn’t look like the basis of an agreement, that’s for sure'.

Tánaiste says it is like saying ‘give me what I want or I’m going to burn the house down’.

1. The Withdrawal Agreement (WA) is not up for renegotiation / 2. The Political Declaration (PD) might be tweaked cosmetically / 3. The future relationship will be negotiated during the transition period / 4. There will be no transition without the WA 5. / The will be no WA without the Financial Settlement / 6. A backstop cannot be unilaterally ended or it is not a backstop ...

'Do you think it's practical for us *the UK govt* to require/request multiple extensions?' / What does A50 have to say on the possibility of multiple extensions? / 'If you leave with no deal, you are no longer a member of the EU and you're treated as any other non member state.'

Boris Johnson and his team have only 3 months before Brexit, "very little time" to make significant preparations for a no-deal scenario says Sumona Guha, Albright Stonebridge Group Vice President.

Alternative arrangements to inspections on the border in Ireland cannot be a replacement for the backstop, the Taoiseach has told reporters in Brussels.

Whatever happens with Brexit, it is vital we protect what we’ve achieved in Northern Ireland together. / Peter Hain and Paul Murphy have both served as secretary of state for Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland’s first minister has paid the price for believing the promises of the hard Brexiteers.

But why has the Irish border remained a major sticking point in the Brexit negotiations?

Memoirs of negotiations show how Brussels lost trust in Downing Street team.

Irish backstop is already a compromise designed around British red lines, says Coveney.

Protesters have gathered outside the Irish parliament to call on public representatives to sign a declaration to protect the backstop.

British government has broken its own solemn legal and political commitments.

EU sources say PM seemed taken aback when shown implications of his Brexit plan.

Unnamed EU officials claim ‘penny dropped’ for PM during talks over future of Irish border. / Opponents of Brexit have accused Boris Johnson of being “out of his depth” after claims emerged of a “penny dropping moment” during his meeting with EU boss Jean-Claude Juncker earlier this week.

Just hours before letter to Donald Tusk, one EU leader insisted withdrawal agreement ‘cannot be reopened’.

Boris Johnson has no intention of renegotiating the withdrawal agreement and a no-deal Brexit is his “central scenario”, European diplomats have been told, amid hardening evidence in Westminster that the government is expecting to crash out of the EU.

On the 21st anniversary of the Omagh bombing, the prime minister's brinkmanship over a no-deal Brexit manages to be both morally indefensible and utterly stupid.

The new foreign policy formula is simple, Trump tweets and the Tory leadership hopeful jumps.

Boris Johnson has vowed to withhold Britain’s £39bn Brexit “divorce” payment until the EU agrees better terms for the UK to leave.

Boris Johnson has said he would refuse to pay the promised £39bn to the EU unless it offers better terms on Brexit.

Would-be prime minister criticised for claiming ‘fear of Farage’ will force Brussels into climbdown – and for backing Irish border technology that does not exist.

The Prime Minister has written to the EU demanding the 'backstop' is scrapped - but he got short shrift from Leo Varadkar

Report cites leaked proposals for clearance areas 5-10 miles from border and real-time tracking of goods.

Boris Johnson’s claims about the prospects of rewriting the Brexit deal have been compared by the European parliament’s Brexit coordinator to the “false promises, pseudo-patriotism and foreigner-bashing” he is said to have used to win the EU referendum.

Dominic Cummings described talks as a 'sham' leak claims.

UK proposals "do not match even remotely" Northern Irish backstop plan, says steering group.

What are the Brexit proposals put forward - and why will they probably be rejected?

Downing Street beats a hasty retreat after leak shows backsliding on Good Friday Agreement pledges. / There is near-unanimous political outrage in Ireland over a leaked British government plan to throw up a “buffer zone” with customs posts on the Irish border. Parties across the political spectrum branded it “out of the question”.

Companies have stopped investing in favour of holding onto cash in case it's needed after the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

'It does not reopen the withdrawal agreement or undermine the backstop or its application' says Leo Varadkar

EU reportedly determined to avoid uncertainty of three-month extension requests.

Northern Ireland is the smallest nation in the UK, but the border with the Republic of Ireland could become one of the biggest parts of the Brexit negotiations. So why is the Irish border so important?

The Border is a sticking point in Brexit negotiations, but why?

EU and UK negotiators reach a new Brexit agreement that would avoid a hard border.

Even the keenest Brexiteer must feel that the process has been tortuously long. / That has been, in large part, because successive British governments have refused to accept the trade-off between untrammelled sovereignty and friction-free access to the EU’s single market, a refusal that shapes today’s increasingly testy relationship.

The Treaty of Versailles established arrangements to prevent a hard border between Germany and Poland in Silesia. It failed, becoming a flashpoint in the relationship between the two countries. Even a permanent backstop is a poorer guarantor of peace in Northern Ireland than remaining in the EU. (Thea Don-Siemion)

The Brexit secretary, Stephen Barclay, has complained to EU ambassadors that Brussels is failing to come up with ideas for replacing the Irish backstop as talks with the bloc became stuck in an “impasse”.

Michel Barnier offers the UK the option of allowing Great Britain out of the backstop. In Pavlovian fashion, Brexiteers cry foul, accuse EU negotiators of bad faith and engage in a broader blame game: it’s all Brussels fault.

Newly elected Brexit Party MEP elect Martin Daubney suffered a bruising encounter with BBC Radio Ulster’s Stephen Nolan who challenged him on what the party’s policy would be towards the Irish border.

What's the latest on the backstop post-Salzburg? What type of custom checks are the European Commission proposing? Take us to the (Irish) Whiskey Bar post-Brexit? From geographical indicators to being grouped in with pornography and the arms trade, William Lavelle, head of the Irish Whiskey Association, outlines the challenges ahead for the industry.

This week: Did Chancellor Merkel wobble on the backstop? A longer transition period possible; Dominic Raab's dash to Brussels, and work continues in the Brexit 'tunnel'.

Could a new House of Commons amendment put pressure back on Ireland over the backstop? What does no deal mean for a hard border? (Multiple choice). And how has Davos been tackling Brexit questions?

Brexit gets biblical: Donald Tusk's special place in hell for Brexiteers who had no plan, Theresa May on pilgrimages to Belfast, Brussels and then Dublin to break bread with Leo Varadkar. / Also Brexit Republic Guest: FoodDrink Europe's DG Mella Frewen on the impact of 'no deal' on the food and drink sector.

Last Thursday, lawyers for former Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble (now Tory peer Lord Trimble), initiated a legal case against the UK government contending that the Withdrawal Agreement with the backstop is in breach of the Good Friday Agreement, the Act of Union and the Vienna Convention. Author and legal commentator Joshua Rozenberg gave Brexit Republic his view of the case.

What do defections to the Independent Group for Theresa May's Brexit negotiations? Will Middle Eastern leaders help their European counterparts find peace in Sharm El Sheikh at this weekend's summit?

Brexit Republic is back, this week the House of Commons was suspended under the British government's deeply controversial prorogation, but that did not mean a quiet week for Boris Johnson. / They are joined by Sam McBride of the Belfast Newsletter, who discusses the DUP's position on the backstop.

Lisa Chambers believes the Irish govt oversold the Joint EU-UK December Brexit report & why 'megaphone diplomacy' has strengthened the Brexiteers' hand in the UK Conservative Party. / Helen McEntee responds to opposition criticism of the Government's approach, says she's confident that the backstop guarantee is still 'cast iron' & that's why a hard North-South border is not being planned for.

UK PM Boris Johnson went to Manchester to address his party conference for the first time as leader proposing a new UK alternative to the backstop - the Northern Ireland/Ireland protocol.

The backstop is dead, long live a new solution for the island of Ireland. Tony Connelly, Sean Whelan and Colm Ó Mongáin will bring you through how the deal was done, and depending on when you're listening to this, what are the chances of, to quote Boris Johnson, Getting Brexit Done and getting it through the House of Commons.

‘Time is short’ to avert clash over chilled meat exports to Northern Ireland, warns Boris Johnson’s Brexit minister.

Another day, another ‘no breakthrough on the backstop‘ story. At the eleventh hour, a dose of reality seems to be setting in over the question of the Northern Ireland Brexit backstop.

EU officials have said they are ready to work through the weekend if the UK comes forward with an "acceptable" plan to resolve the impasse over the Northern Ireland backstop, the BBC reported.

PM says deal outline is nearly ready but EU says no backstop alternatives have been tabled.

Chris is hosting solo this week and joined by special guest Garvan Walshe (yes we know he was already on Remainiacs grrr) for a chat about the so-called Irish backstop, Jeremy Hunt's brass-necked cakeism, and whether Anna Soubry is a Leninist. Plus: would Remaining really be a good thing? No I mean really?? Also: Thucydides!

Chris and Garvan Walshe catch up on how they handled lockdown, what to expect next, and what has changed since they last recorded the podcast together, in November 2018. Just as it did two years ago, the Northern Ireland backstop features heavily in Lie of the Week. Also, will the Conservative Party have the good sense to ditch its current leader?

"It is crystal clear that the measures do not alter the fundamental legal effect of the backstop, as previously and correctly explained by the Attorney General. The backstop will endure indefinitely, unless and until superseded by another agreement, save in the extreme and unlikely event that in future negotiations the EU acts in bad faith in rejecting the UK’s demands."

Here is a quick analysis of the three documents agreed last night between Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker.

European council president also says remain movement has no effective leadership.

The Tory leadership race has brought a no-deal Brexit closer. Most candidates have either elevated No Deal to a heightened form of Brexit - a "clean" Brexit - or have insisted it is preferable to an extension beyond the current Article 50 deadline of 31 October.

Simon Coveney reportedly clashed with Jeremy Hunt over UK’s alleged attempts to isolate Ireland.

EU spokesperson says no proposals to replace backstop laid out by UK team.

Michel Barnier says 'we're not really in a position where we're able to find an agreement'.

The European Commission said the UK suggestions 'fall short of satisfying all the objectives of the backstop'

Ireland‘s EU commissioner has launched a scathing attack on Boris Johnson, accusing the “unelected prime minister” of “gambling” with the Irish peace process.

PM’s negotiators intent on waiting until last minute before sharing plan with Brussels.

EU says prime minister presented no real proposals and seems to seek return of hard border in Ireland.

Jean-Claude Juncker was speaking in Brussels after a meeting with the 27 presidents and prime ministers of the remaining EU countries.

EU trade commissioner says he believes ‘penny is finally dropping’ for Boris Johnson.

But under the proposal, the Northern Ireland-only backstop would remain in place indefinitely if a future trade deal is not agreed.

Under the proposals being considered, the EU would allow the unilateral revocation of the backstop if both Sinn Fein and the DUP agreed.

The European Commission is drawing up a multibillion-pound aid package for Ireland to offset the economic damage of a no-deal Brexit, The Times understands.

Brexit Secretary had warned Ireland would suffer more than UK.

Michel Barnier makes final offer on Irish border that falls short of Theresa May's demands.

The EU would refuse to open trade talks with Britain after a no-deal Brexit until the UK decided to sign up to the main elements of the withdrawal agreement anyway, the European Commission has said.

Spokesperson says withdrawal agreement is still not up for renegotiation.

Juncker, Barnier and Verhofstadt again say there will be no change on backstop.

Brussels rallies amid elevation of Brexiteer Boris Johnson to UK's highest office, says it will stick to Brexit deal.

The European Commission has issued a fresh warning that it will not reopen the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement as Theresa May prepared for further talks in Brussels.

Prime minister also warned that renegotiation would backfire on UK – by reopening controversies over Gibraltar, fishing and the Brexit 'divorce bill'.

The next prime minister in the United Kingdom will fail in any attempt to renegotiate the Brexit deal, Michel Barnier has said before warning the new leader’s choice is to accept the agreement, cancel Brexit or suffer a damaging no deal. The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator said that it would make no difference which of the leadership hopefuls eventually succeeded Theresa May.

Barnier pours scorn on PM’s Irish border proposal as it would not avoid customs and VAT checks post-Brexit.

European Council President Donald Tusk said on Tuesday British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s demands to drop the Brexit backstop came with no “realistic alternatives” and amounted to seeking a return to controls along the sensitive Irish border.

Leaked resolution says MEPs will use veto against any Brexit deal without a backstop.

No "magical solution" for the Irish border, top civil servant in charge of the issue says.

"I voted to leave but not knowing the whole story. And now if I was to vote again, I'd vote to remain, personally, from an agricultural point of view."

He was booed in Scotland. In Wales, a chicken submitted to his embrace, but politicians held him at arm’s length. And in Northern Ireland, there were rumblings of Irish unity — which could only come at the expense of its ties to the rest of the United Kingdom.

He said he would deliver Brexit by refusing to pay the £39bn exit payment agreed by Theresa May until Brussels agrees to a better deal.

Minister says withdrawal agreement including backstop will not be renegotiated.

Parliament's Brexit steering group says backstop is not up for renegotiation.

Attorney general Geoffrey Cox has said that the UK can still be trapped in the ‘Irish backstop’ so hated by Conservative MPs, despite changes to the Brexit deal won by Theresa May.

On Monday morning Martin Selmayr, the secretary general of the European Commission, was in mid-flow briefing EU ambassadors on how efforts over the weekend to get legally binding assurances on the Irish backstop had ground to a halt.

The question, set less by Brussels than the logic of Brexit, is how the UK government can in one move leave the European union’s single market and customs while also maintaining the flow of trade and people on its one land border with the bloc in Ireland.

Regardless of the European election results, the rhetoric on “binning the backstop” will begin again next week. But more than any time in the past two decades, politicians from Westminster need to show courage and leadership on Northern Ireland.

A certain group of Brexiteers have got everything they wanted - but they still yearn for the impossible.

Simon Coveney dampens hopes that Boris Johnson’s border proposal is a game-changer.

Irish government says there is no prospect of rethink in Brexit stalemate.

The contenders to become Britain’s prime minister should not “dumb down” the issues Brexit presents for the Irish border by suggesting simplistic solutions, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Friday.

Study for German Green party says backstop could let UK flout EU green and social standards.

Exclusive: leaked report says at present there is no deliverable alternative to the backstop

Simon Coveney also warns no deal is more likely than ever. / Ireland’s foreign minister has blasted the “inaccurate” discussion of Brexit taking place during the Conservative leadership contest.

Prime minister’s ‘take it or leave it’ proposals described as unworkable and illegal.

Two leaders to meet on Monday after British PM seemed to soften stance on backstop.

If only our own government were honest enough also to communicate this clear & blunt reality to the UK public.

The huge row with a caller over the Northern Irish border that left James O'Brien with his head in his hands has reached number 5 in his top 10 chart.

James O’Brien received support over his Brexit explanation on the Irish backstop from an unlikely source... Theresa May.

Boris Johnson agreed in the final hours of the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiations that there would be customs declarations on goods exiting Northern Ireland to Britain, despite the fact that just three weeks later he told businesses in the North there would be "no forms, no checks, no barriers of any kind…," according to a detailed new account of the protocol negotiations.

Accusations come as PM is set to meet Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Dublin.

MPs say language is associated with fascism and could put politicians and staff at risk.

Simon Coveney says British prime minister’s Commons statements ‘very unhelpful’.

"With only eight weeks until the UK exits the EU, the four pro-Remain Assembly parties - Sinn Féin, SDLP, Alliance and Greens - are united in our support for the backstop negotiated by both the European Union and the British Government."

Deputy Frans Timmermans accuses Tory Brexiters of a ‘cavalier’ approach to peace. / Jean-Claude Juncker has told Theresa May in a private phone call that shifting her red lines in favour of a permanent customs union is the price she will need to pay for the EU revising the Irish backstop.

eaders admit there will be no breakthrough in talks in Dublin today.

Irish prime minister says he will study the plans further and consult with other EU leaders.

French president tells Boris Johnson he must present concrete proposals for UK exit.

German chancellor puts responsibility for crashing out of EU firmly at UK PM’s door.

FORMER Tory MP Michael Portillo believes Boris Johnson as British prime minister will negotiate a Northern Ireland-only Brexit backstop – and will hold a referendum in the north to secure support for the plan.

The EU's lead Brexit negotiator has rejected Boris Johnson's demands for the Irish backstop to be scrapped.

Group of MEPs led by Guy Verhofstadt criticises ‘politicised language’ of Tory leadership.

This evening, Michel Barnier said the EU was ready to offer Britain a unilateral exit from the customs union while maintaining the other elements of the backstop.

EU’s top negotiator tells MEPs Britain has not offered credible proposals for Irish border.

George Freeman tells HuffPost UK that trading on WTO terms would be "very damaging" in the long-run.

Institute for Government says parliament passing motions or no-confidence vote may not be enough.

‘If we have a populist in government who is flouting convention and acting in a way that bypasses the sovereignty of parliament, parliament will respond accordingly’

‘To leave this successful developing market place makes no economic sense whatsoever,’ Scottish first minister says.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said that Ireland would not be carrying out bilateral negotiations with the UK in relation to no-deal Brexit planning.

Brussels reiterates position minutes after Commons backed plan to replace Irish backstop.

Parliament will block a no-deal Brexit if unelected people behind Prime Minister Boris Johnson try to wrench Britain out of the European Union on Oct. 31 without agreement, former finance minister Philip Hammond said on Wednesday.

The Government has been accused of trying to play the “blame game” over a no-deal Brexit, as Michael Gove claimed that the EU was refusing to negotiate with Britain.

A leaked cross-government study warning of the impact of a no-deal Brexit outlines a "worst-case scenario", cabinet minister Michael Gove has said.

The UK is refusing to table a new plan for a Northern Ireland border backstop in Brexit talks – raising the prospect of disastrous no-deal as the negotiating deadline looms.

The Northern Ireland secretary has been accused of using the peace process as a “bargaining tool”, after linking a £300m grant to the passing of Theresa May’s Brexit deal.

Ex-chancellor says both Remain and Leave supporters during 2016 vote want "smooth" exit.

Nicos Anastasiades says Cyprus will stand up for peace in Ireland and the backstop.

Sabine Weyand, the EU's Deputy Brexit negotiator, gives her thoughts in a panel discussion on the Irish backstop, Theresa May's Brexit deal and the EU's future relationship with the UK.

Let’s parlez Brexit! The Prime Minister went to Paris and Berlin and all he got us was this lousy imaginary Backstop fix. What was the purpose of Johnson’s Euro drive-by and what’s going to happen when it turns out that you can’t fix in 30 days what hasn’t been fixed in three years? Plus rock’n’roll Remainiac and national treasure GUY GARVEY of Elbow ...

We are thrilled to have the great MARK GATISS – writer, star of ‘The League Of Gentlemen‘, 'Sherlock' and 'Doctor Who', and five-star unyielding Remainer – as this week’s special guest on Remainiacs. / Why “alternative arrangements” means yet more blind man’s Brexit. Why Labour really fears the Backstop. More on the shameless liar Daniel Kawcynzski MP.

Leaked papers obtained by the Guardian show extent of fundamental objections Brussels has raised.

Irish premier says it is 'alarming' that Tory leadership contenders want to remove safeguard against hard border.

It’s time to tell us what you want, ministers say, as European press tears into PM.

Ireland's deputy prime minister has criticised Brexit "hardliners" who think "no price is too high to pay for their version of Brexit". Simon Coveney told a Dublin conference it was time for British MPs to cast aside "unrealistic" options based on promises that cannot be delivered.

It is apposite that Sky News are now badging all of their Brexit coverage with the label ‘Brexit Crisis’. For the political crisis which has been incipient since, at least, the 2017 General Election is now well underway, and will almost certainly intensify.

The Good Friday agreement allows people to identify as Irish, British or both. We’re being forced, once again, to choose sides.

The UK has proposed the creation of a string of customs posts along both sides of the Irish border as part of its effort to replace the #brexit backstop, RTÉ News understands.

Prime minister launches new plan to win backing for her deal as she prepares to update MPs on way forward

The prime minister is pinning her strategy on securing a concession to mitigate the indefinite backstop arrangement.

Mark Rutte also claims UK will be 'diminished' as a country under any type of Brexit.

Ireland would be hit hard in the event of a no-deal Brexit; a Brexiteer has argued this should be used as leverage to get a better deal.

Verdict from QC advising hardline Conservatives on Irish backstop would sink prime minister's deal in next week's 'meaningful vote' - if followed.

The UK worries about being “trapped” in a backstop – but can’t present an alternative. / Toxic language is defining the Brexit debate. It is turning an intensely complex and complicated subject into something being argued over emotionally, certainly in the UK.

Irish troops could return to the border in the event of a botched Brexit, the Irish prime minister has warned.

European Council President Donald Tusk has said that a letter sent to him by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson included no "realistic alternatives" to the backstop.

The Minister of State for European Affairs has said the UK's proposals for dealing with the Irish backstop do not go far enough.

America Letter: Congress members voice support for backstop and Belfast agreement. / This week the issue of Brexit made it across the Atlantic as members of US Congress voiced their concern about its impact on Northern Ireland.

Britain is being led to a no-deal Brexit by a political elite “which has great difficulties discerning and telling the truth”, the UK’s former ambassador to the EU has said, in a withering assessment of the Conservative candidates vying to be prime minister.

Leo Varadkar says government must submit plans in writing before EU summit in October.

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay says UK should be given ‘until December 2020’ to come up with plan for Irish border.

Boris Johnson, considered the frontrunner to succeed British Prime Minister Theresa May, said on Saturday he would refuse to pay the country's Brexit bill until the EU agrees better withdrawal terms.

SDLP’s Brexit spokesman says Frost’s attempts to unpick NI protocol risking investment.

Nominee to lead European commission also says ‘precious’ backstop must be defended.

Britain will not secure a free trade deal with the EU without the Irish border backstop, the taoiseach has said.

Taoiseach wants to keep a guarantee there will be no return to hard borders. / Leo Varadkar has said that removing the border backstop would be as bad for Ireland as a no-deal Brexit.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson referred for the second successive day on Thursday to "an excellent paper" endorsed by pro-Brexit members of parliament proposing alternatives to replace the so-called Irish backstop.

The Q&A session taken from the Brexit, What leaving on WTO terms will mean, held in Trowbridge on the 26/9/2018 in front of an audience of 180.

It may be time for the UK to consider the possibility the German car industry might not be riding to the rescue.

The government has announced an extra £2.1bn of funding to prepare for a no-deal Brexit - doubling the amount of money it has set aside this year.

Inside the deal struck at the Wirral, England, on October 10th, 2019, by Leo Varadkar and Boris Johnson.

‘It is arguably your political incompetence that got you here,’ Newsnight presenter suggests.

Many people in Britain are unaware that Ireland is a separate country at all.

Dublin will not give up on the Northern Ireland backstop clause in Britain’s EU Withdrawal Agreement, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has warned.