women?

'Nothing credible'

The EU and many British lawmakers support the backstop as a way to avoid creating a hard border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland.

British officials say technological alternatives to border checks could be used in the event that future trade talks with the European Union break down.

Johnson's government has not provided any details of its backstop alternative, prompting skepticism from EU officials.

"We all want to get a deal, but at the moment nothing credible has come from the UK government in terms of alternatives to the backstop," Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told reporters in Brussels on Friday.

Read more: Why is the Irish backstop so controversial?

Parliament suspension challenged

As Johnson pushes forward with renegotiating the Brexit deal, he isfacing mounting backlash over his move to prorogue Parliament with just weeks to go until the October 31 deadline.

Johnson's plans sparked protests as well as immediate legal challenges in high courts in London, Edinburgh and Belfast.

On Friday, the court in Edinburgh rejected a request by opposition lawmakers to place an interim block on Johnson's plan to suspend Parliament, but announced that it would hear full arguments in the case on Tuesday.

The case in Belfast's High Court will be heard on September 6, while arguments in London are also expected to take place next week.

The suspension of Parliament is widely criticized as "undemocratic" and seen as a way for the government to stop lawmakers from blocking a no-deal Brexit.

Government officials have defended the move, saying it is simply a