Ireland will not fold on border talks, Varadkar says ahead of Johnson meeting
After a day mainly dealing with climate change yesterday the government's focus at the UN general assembly today will shift largely towards Brexit.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will meet the British Prime Minister in New York later to discuss Brexit.
It is the second time in a matter of weeks the two leaders have met as the Brexit deadline looms.
The Taoiseach says he hopes some progress will be made.
"The message I would say to him is the message that we have said all along - our bottom line is that we need a legally binding assurance that there won't be a hard border between north and south, that the all island economy will continue to operate and that north-south co-operation will continue," said Mr Varadkar.
We can't accept some sort of halfway house.
Mr Varadkar reiterated that going into today's talks his stance hasn't changed.
"There are some people in Britain who took the view that sooner or later the French and Germans and big counties would gang up on Ireland - that's never happened.
"There are also some people who believe that at the last minute somehow Ireland will fold or give up our position.
"That's not going to happen."
Leo Varadkar met European Council President Donald Tusk yesterday with both leaders agreeing that nothing with enough clout to replace the backstop has been suggested by the UK so far.
It is unlikely this meeting today will bring forward anything significantly new, but it does continue the step up we have seen in the pace of negotiations in recent weeks.
