No-deal Brexit could reduce UK to ‘junior partner of the United States,’ says Macron

The French President made it clear he won’t be persuaded to change his position when he meets the UK Prime Minister on Thursday. According to Reuters, Macron on Wednesday warned renegotiation was “not an option that exists,” adding that Britain could become the “junior partner of the United States” after a no-deal Brexit.”Can the cost for Britain of a hard Brexit — because Britain will be the main victim — be offset by the United States of America? No. And even if it were a strategic choice it would be at the cost of a historic vassalization of Britain,” Macron said.Johnson is set to meet Macron in Paris, the second leg of a trip aimed at pushing the European Union to shift its position on Brexit.The PM insists the EU must ditch the so-called Irish backstop — a demand that has so far fallen on deaf ears among the bloc’s leaders.The controversial clause is designed to prevent the return of a hard border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, and the Republic of Ireland, an EU member. It was negotiated by Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May, but widely criticized by UK lawmakers who still need to ratify the agreement to stop the country from crashing out of the bloc without a deal.However, the European leaders are sticking to their line: if Johnson wants to remove the backstop, he needs to come up with a specific alternative proposal.Speaking at a joint news conference in Berlin on Wednesday evening Merkel said the “UK has to tell us what ideas it has” to solve the backstop issue, adding that “it is not the job of the chancellor” to find a solution.The German Chancellor challenged Johnson to come up with a new plan for Brexit in 30 days.European Council President Donald Tusk said on Tuesday the backstop was “an insurance to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland unless and until an alternative is found.””Those against the backstop and not proposing realistic alternatives in fact support reestablishing a border. Even if they do not admit it,” Tusk added.A lack of a Plan B would mean the UK is more likely to crash out of the EU without a deal. This would, according to the government’s own forecasts, plunge the country into economic chaos. It could also spark food, medicine and fuel shortages.Johnson has indicated he is prepared to take the country out of the EU without an agreement.