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Boris Johnson is set to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel later, the first in a series of meetings with European and world leaders over the coming days.<\/p>\nBoris Johnson is set to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel later, the first in a series of meetings with European and world leaders over the coming days.<\/p>\n
The British Prime Minister will travel to Berlin where he will discuss Brexit-related issues with the German premier over dinner, before heading to Paris on Thursday to meet French President Emmanuel Macron.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Mr Johnson will be at the G7 summit where he will meet other world leaders including US president Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
The meetings come as Mr Johnson has reiterated his opposition to the Northern Irish backstop, saying he will not support any withdrawal agreement that includes it.<\/p>\n
In an interview with ITV News, Mr Johnson said he believes there are \u201cplenty of other creative solutions\u201d to the Northern Irish backstop.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cI think it\u2019s a bit paradoxical that the EU side is talking about us putting up all the barriers, we\u2019ve made it clear 1,000 times we don\u2019t want to see any checks on the Northern Irish frontier at all, under no circumstances let me repeat again, under no circumstances will the Government of the United Kingdom be putting checks on the Northern Irish frontier.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy contrast, it is the EU who currently claim that the single market and the plurality of the single market require them to have such checks \u2013 I don\u2019t think that\u2019s true.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to go of course and see if I can explore those ideas with our friends in Germany and France and at the G7 \u2013 let\u2019s see where we get to.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt may be that for now, they stick with the mantra, rien ne va plus, and they can\u2019t change a jot or a title of the Withdrawal Agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n
It comes as Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay said UK ministers and officials will no longer attend most European Union meetings from September 1, the Government has announced.<\/p>\n
The country will only be represented at meetings where the UK has a \u201csignificant national interest,\u201d the Department for Exiting the European Union said.<\/p>\n