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British Prime Minister Boris Johnsons, 10 Downing Street, London, August 7, 2019. Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP

For his first official visit outside the UK, Boris Johnson chose Germany and France. He went to Berlin on Wednesday, August 21, and to Paris, the next day, before going to Biarritz for the G7. The British Prime Minister has pledged to pull the UK out of the EU on October 31, whatever the cost.

With our correspondent in London, Marina Daras

Two days after sending a letter to the President of the European Council Donald Tusk, the new British Prime Minister wants to convince Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron to negotiate a new exit agreement.

In this letter, Boris Johnson insists that the backstop must be removed from the agreement negotiated by Theresa May. The backstop , still at the heart of tensions between the EU and the UK, is a safety net to ensure the opening of the border between the two Ireland after Brexit until new customs regulations are found .

Boris Johnson wants an alternative arrangement, but the Europeans have been very clear: they do not want a new deal that does not contain a backstop .

At 71 days of Brexit, Boris Johnson tries everything for the whole and puts up the pressure on the Europeans by announcing the end of free movement as it currently exists in the absence of exit agreement. He also announced that British representatives will cease to attend most of the EU meetings from 1 September, with the exception of " national interest ", to better focus on Brexit.

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