16:40

Angela Merkel has wished Boris Johnson “a sure hand” in his new role as British prime minister inviting him to visit Berlin in a telephone call.

The German chancellor interrupted her summer break to speak to Johnson today, in a conversation which a spokeswoman said focussed on Brexit as well as future bilateral relations.

The spokeswoman, Ulrike Demmer said Merkel “congratulated him on assuming his new office and wished him a sure hand in exercising the duties of this responsible task.”

Demmer said the leaders’ conversation centred “around the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union as well as efforts to deepen bilateral relations”.

She added that Johnson had accepted the invitation to visit Berlin. He is expected to combine it with a visit to French president Emmanuel Macron. Political insiders in Berlin say the visit could take place as early as next week but no date has been announced.

The arrival of Johnson in Downing Street has been met with a mix of bewilderment and defiance in Berlin, where he is often referred to, particularly in the boulevard press, as ‘Brexit Boris’.

Berlin has repeatedly ruled out reopening Britain’s withdrawal agreement with the EU, putting particular emphasis on its refusal to renegotiate the Northern Ireland back-stop unless a viable alternative is found.



