Politics

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson may have taken a month to embark on his first trip abroad, but he was quick to make himself at home in President Emmanuel Macron's gilded palace, putting his feet up on the furniture.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Boris Johnson held constructive talks on Thursday and agreed that exchanges between Britain and the European Union in search of a Brexit deal should continue until the end of September, an official in Macron's office said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson referred for the second successive day on Thursday to "an excellent paper" endorsed by pro-Brexit members of parliament proposing alternatives to replace the so-called Irish backstop.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she had not given Britain 30 days to find a solution for the so-called Irish backstop but had wanted to highlight how short time was before Britain's planned European Union exit date of Oct. 31.

The British pound jumped more than half a cent on Thursday to nearly a one-month high after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said a solution to the Irish border issue could be found before the Oct. 31 deadline for Britain to leave the European Union.

Net immigration to Britain sank to its lowest since 2013 during the year to the end of March, driven by a sustained fall in the number of immigrants from the European Union since 2016's Brexit referendum, official figures showed on Thursday.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday. Following are key Johnson quotes when he spoke alongside Macron just after his arrival:

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday told Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson there was not enough time in the month ahead to negotiate a new Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday that under no circumstances would the United Kingdom set up border checks on the boundary between EU member Ireland and the British region of Northern Ireland.