I join others in extending heartfelt thoughts to Mr. Lunney and his family. He is the father of six children. I met him in recent months to discuss Brexit. As others set out, the attack on him was utterly vile and criminal and every effort must be made to bring those responsible to justice. It is also worth saying the attack does not represent the standards or spirit of people who live in the Border region. Those who acted in this way did so of their own accord.

Yesterday we watched as the latest chapter of the Boris Johnson Brexit circus unfolded in London. The Supreme Court in Britain ruled that Mr. Johnson's suspension of Parliament was unlawful. The British Prime Minister was caught out in his latest bluff by the courts. Let us be in no doubt that he is wedded to his Hallowe'en Brexit strategy, come what may. He refuses to accept the democratic decision of the people in the North who voted to remain in the European Union. It is clear that he lacks the maturity or skill necessary to deal with the complexities of his country's departure from the European Union. His international credibility is in absolute tatters after the latest debacle.

The real challenge for us in Ireland is to ensure we do not become bedazzled, or distracted, by the latest instalment of the great Westminster soap opera. If the British Prime Minister wants to disrespect his office and duties, that is his problem, but we cannot allow it to become Ireland's problem. His stupid and dangerous Brexit fantasy cannot become Ireland's nightmare. Despite the chaos that is enveloping the British political system, he has said he will push ahead with Brexit on 31 October. He has also said he has an operable alternative to the agreed backstop. He has stated he has an operable plan to avoid the reimposition of a hard border on this island. We have all waited a long time for the British Government to produce workable solutions that are grounded in sense and reality. If Mr. Johnson does, in fact, have such a plan, this is the time for him to produce it, but I do not believe he has a plan. His behaviour in the past two months, since he entered 10 Downing Street, suggests such pragmatism is beyond him. I believe he has deluded himself into believing he can hoodwink Ireland and the European Union. It is the Taoiseach's responsibility to call his bluff because far too much is at stake for the sense of entitlement of the British Prime Minister to be entertained. The peace agreements, the economy and the rights of Irish people are on the line. In his arrogance Mr. Johnson perhaps believes Ireland will be the collateral damage in the Tory Brexit. He needs to be put straight that that will not happen. He needs a dose of reality. The Taoiseach met Mr. Johnson yesterday - Athena and Hercules in conclave - in New York. I want the Minister to confirm for the Dáil that the Taoiseach has reiterated to the Prime Minister that the backstop remains the bottom line, that the guarantees contained within it cannot be bartered away and that there will be no circumstances in which we can countenance the return of a hard border. The people of Ireland, North and South, need that reassurance today.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Given the current political uncertainty in London, there is a significant risk of a no-deal Brexit. We do not want such an outcome, but Ireland cannot move away from an agreed and negotiated position to an unknown and untested solution. The responsibility to avoid a no-deal outcome lies with the United Kingdom because it will never be the choice of the European Union. Ireland and its EU partners stand by the withdrawal agreement. We are committed to finding a way forward and, as we have said repeatedly, open to hearing any credible, fully worked out proposal from the United Kingdom.

We have, of course, noted the findings of the Supreme Court in the United Kingdom and continue to monitor developments closely, but it would not be appropriate or helpful for me to comment on the internal workings of the British Parliament or courts. I will say, however, that any proposal from the United Kingdom must achieve the same outcome as the backstop. This test is crystal-clear. A solution must avoid a hard border, fully protect the Good Friday Agreement and North-South co-operation and preserve the all-island economy, as well as the integrity of the EU Single Market and Ireland's place in it. To date, there is nothing on the table that would achieve the same outcome as the backstop. As the Taoiseach said when he met Prime Minister Johnson in New York on Tuesday, the gaps between the European Union and the United Kingdom are still very wide. Unless and until it is shown that any alternative arrangement could pass the test, the EU position remains that the withdrawal agreement, including the backstop, is the only way forward. Proposals which would not achieve these aims, or which would only partially achieve them, are unacceptable. Media speculation suggesting otherwise is simply incorrect.

We welcome the intensification of discussions between the European Commission and the United Kingdom. However, meetings are not enough, with only a handful of weeks remaining until the European Council meeting in October. The United Kingdom must match its stated aspirations with actions and present fully worked out solutions. Prime Minister Johnson has floated the idea of an all-island sanitary and phytosanitary, SPS, area, but, while SPS alignment will form an essential part of any solution, it is not enough in itself. Agreeing to this limited approach would have considerable negative impacts on life on both sides of the Border and such a proposal does not meet the test of having the same outcome as the backstop.

I welcome the clarification. It is very important, as the clock ticks down and people become very anxious about what might happen at Hallowe'en, that the Government, as well as political leaders across the Dáil Chamber generally, remain firm in their resolve to secure and deliver the bottom line, the least worst option, which is the backstop. No one here is pretending that it is the all-encompassing answer to Brexit, which was always bad news for us. We should not be led into a cul-de-sac in having to choose between the Single Market and the Good Friday Agreement, the all-island economy and citizens' rights. The task for all of us is to secure all of them. When does the Taoiseach intend to brief Opposition leaders again about his conversations with the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the political plan for what might happen if Britain crashes out of the European Union? All of the things the Minister listed - the avoidance of a hard border, protection of the Good Friday Agreement, North-South co-operation, the all-island economy, to which I would add citizen's rights, and our position in the Single Market - are still imperatives if and when Britain crashes out of the European Union. We need a plan to secure them come what may.

Cross-Border travel for citizens is protected by the common travel area. It is important that people know that there is an agreement in place, that they can travel over and back every day to their place of work or to see their friends along the Border. We are an absolutely committed member of the European Union, membership of which has served the country extremely well. We will remain a committed member. As a member of the European Union, we must protect the Single Market and the customs union. Therein lies the difficulty in making sure we will not have a hard border between the Republic and Northern Ireland. I am very familiar with the area and the last thing I want to see is a border between us and Northern Ireland such that we could not continue to do what we do every single day in going over and back across the Border. We do not notice it any more as it is seamless. We want that to continue, which is why the backstop is in place and we believe the withdrawal agreement is the best option on the table. We remain committed to it, as do our European partners.