According to Downing Street, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will meet the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, on September 16 in Luxemburg. This is the first time both of them will meet face-to-face over a “working lunch” since Johnson took the office in July. The prime focus of the meeting will be Brexit, which is due on October 31. However, the European Union spokeswoman said she was not going to speculate on what will be achieved from the meeting. 

London and Brussels

According to the Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar, the gap between London and Brussels on the issue of the backstop is very wide. They are looking for alternative arrangements, but whatever they see falls far short. The exploration of what is still possible is going on.

PM Varadkar believes that Brussels and UK will work out a deal until the last moment at any cost. The backstop is a part of the withdrawal agreement which was negotiated by the former PM of UK, Theresa May, with the European Union. It is an insurance policy planned to avoid the return of a hard border on the island of Ireland.

READ: Boris Johnson Denies Lying To Queen About Suspension Of Parliament

Other latest developments 

The PM of UK opposes backstop and wants it scrapped. According to him, the presence of backstop in the deal is not up for negotiation.

Joanne Kate Swinson, the leader of the Liberal Democrats said that both, the current Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, as well as Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour Party are "unfit" to lead a country. Swinson ruled the LibDems out from supporting a Labour Party-led government after the general election. She believes the party lacks an informal support arrangement with Labour despite their corporation to block a no-deal Brexit. The Liberal Democrats leader supports "plural politics".

Boris Johnson was also heckled in Rotherham on Friday for suspending the parliament. Allegedly, the heckler shouted that why was the Prime Minister not in the Parliament to sort out the “mess” he has created. PM Johnson replied that he would be very happy to go back to the Parliament soon.

The UK PM also announced his plans to devolve transport powers and said that it is his intention to give railways of the North back to the people of the North.

READ: Boris Johnson Lost Parliament But He Could Still Win A UK Election

READ: Boris Johnson To Suspend UK Parliament Till October Mid-week

No action against Leave.EU

Scotland Yard has also announced that there would be no action taken against Leave.EU, the Brexit campaign which was founded by Arron Banks and spearheaded by Nigel Farage. There have been technical breaches of the electoral law which were committed by Leave.EU. It was in respect of the expenditure of the return submitted for the campaign. There is a lack of evidence to justify any criminal investigation. The concerned person has also been informed that there will be no further action by police.

However, investigations of spending returns of Vote Leave and BeLeave are still going on.

READ: UK Minister Amber Rudd Quits Over Brexit, Boris Johnson Loses Support