<span style="color: #222222;">British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has issued an ultimatum to the European Union (EU) to scrap unviable and anti-democratic Irish border backstop, to negotiate a new deal before the October 31 Brexit deadline.<br />'' <br />'' In a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk, the British Prime Minister also said the backstop risked undermining the Northern Irish peace process.<br />'' <br />'' But the ultimatum was rejected by the EU as it restated its stand on the backstop being non-negotiable. Mr Tusk said those opposing the arrangement without realistic alternatives supported re-establishing a hard border.<br />'' <br />'' Mr Tusk said the backstop is insurance to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland unless and until an alternative is found. <br />'' <br />'' In his letter, Johnson reiterated his highest priority was to achieve an agreement to avert a chaotic no-deal exit from the 28-nation economic bloc, but not with any kind of backstop, designed to avert a post-Brexit hard border between EU member-country Ireland and British region Northern Ireland. <br />'' <br />'' Johnson is to travel to Germany tomorrow for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel and then to Paris on Thursday for discussions with President Emmanuel Macron.</span><br />''  <br />