UK's Johnson tells EU's Juncker that Brexit backstop must go

LONDON: Britain's new prime minister, Boris Johnson, told European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Thursday that the so-called Northern Irish backstop must be abolished to avoid a no-deal Brexit, a spokesman for Johnson said.

In a telephone call, Johnson also told Juncker that the withdrawal agreement reached between former British prime minister Theresa May and the EU would not pass parliament in its current form, the spokesman said.