UK PM Johnson: I insist the backstop is going to be removed

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson crossed the wires in the last minutes reiterating that they will leave the European Union on October 31 and that they insist the backstop is going to be removed.

"We will not accept a Northern Ireland only backstop," Johnson said during a Facebook broadcast. "We will work hard for a Brexit deal, we're making great progress."

Regarding the criticism Johnson received over parliament suspension, Johnson said that his government is not authoritarian. "If opposition lawmakers disagree with our approach, it is always open to them to agree to an election," he added.

These comments had little to no impact on the British pound and the GBP/USD pair was last seen trading at 1.2333, losing 0.12% on a daily basis.