German Chancellor Angela Merkel says a suggestion she made that a solution to the Brexit dispute be solved in 30 days shouldn’t be interpreted as a strict deadline. Some commentators in Britain had interpreted her comment as a deadline to Johnson, who wants to take Britain out of the European Union by the end of October — whether a solution to the Irish border issue is agreed or not. French President Emmanuel Macron says the Irish backstop is “indispensable” in a Brexit deal.