Juncker: I don't have erotic relationship with the backstop

There are new hopes of a Brexit deal after EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said he does not have an “erotic relationship” with the Irish backstop.

Speaking to Sky News, Juncker said: “I was asking the prime minister the other day to make concrete proposals as far as so-called alternative arrangements are concerned, allowing us and Britain to achieve the main objectives of the backstop.”

Taking an unexpected turn, he added: “I don't have an erotic relationship to the backstop. If the results are there, I don't care about it.”

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Juncker also said his meeting with Johnson in Luxembourg on Monday was “rather positive”, and “we can have a deal” in the next few weeks.

He said that paperwork sent by Johnson outlining draft ideas for a new Brexit deal had arrived on Wednesday evening but he had yet to read it. The documents have been described as “non-papers” – informal documents which are not binding.

They set out proposals to bind Northern Ireland into the same zone as the EU for agricultural trade while taking the entire UK into a different customs regime, with limited checks.

The Independent says the “upbeat” words from Juncker have added to hopes of a breakthrough and the Daily Telegraph says a deal could be agreed when Boris Johnson meets EU leaders at the UN General Assembly next week.

As for Johnson himself, he said he did not want to “exaggerate progress” but said some was being made. However, there were more cautious words from Ireland’s foreign minister, Simon Coveney, who said there was still a "big gap" between the two sides.

The news comes as Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay prepares to hold talks with the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, later today. Barclay has told the EU to avoid a “rigid” approach ahead of the talks.

A source close to the Brexit Secretary said: “It’s important that they see each other regularly to make sure technical talks are on the right track.”

Barclay insists it is not essential to solve the Irish border issue in detail until the end of 2020, when the post-Brexit transition period is due to end.