Johnson: 'We must leave the EU on October 31, deal or no deal'

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"We must leave the European Union on October 31, deal or no deal," said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Johnson added he wants a deal and he was "powerfully encouraged" by talks on Wednesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

Boris Johnson gambles on alternative to Irish backstop

The remarks come after Macron on Thursday said there was not enough time in the month ahead to negotiate a new Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron deliver a joint statement before a meeting on Brexit at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, August 22, 2019. /Reuters Photo

Macron called for a "useful" month of talks with Britain to find a solution to its EU exit, adding that any plan should be within the framework of the existing withdrawal agreement.

"We need to try to have a useful month," said Macron, adding that it was possible to "find something intelligent" in the next 30 days. But he added that such a solution should not be "far from the fundamentals" that have already been negotiated.

The president also told Johnson that it was for him to choose Britain's destiny and that while a no-deal scenario was not the European Union's wish, the bloc would be ready for it.

On the Irish backstop protocol, the French leader said it was not just a technical mechanism but a guarantor of stability in Ireland and the province of Northern Ireland.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson inspect a guard of honor ceremony in Berlin, Germany, August 21, 2019. /VCG Photo

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday challenged Britain to come up with alternatives to the Irish border backstop within 30 days - a challenge which Johnson readily accepted.

"What Chancellor Merkel said yesterday, and which is in line with the substance of our talks, is that we need visibility in 30 days," Macron told reporters standing alongside Johnson.

"Nobody is going to wait until October 31 without trying to find a good solution."

(With input from agencies)

(Cover: French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson deliver a joint statement before a meeting on Brexit at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, August 22, 2019. /Reuters Photo)