Holy Christ.

As the leadership issue for the Conservative Party and the position of Prime Minister drags out over a series of debates, it's obvious that the big talking point in the debates has been Brexit and the best possible option for Britain to withdraw from the EU. The EU have consistently said that they will not be renegotiating the Withdrawal Agreement or re-examine the issue of the Irish backstop. During Monday's debate, the candidates were asked to provide their solution to resolve the dispute about the backstop and the border. Jeremy Hunt said that his solution for the border has three elements: 1) Mobile checks for food products. 2)  A trusted trader scheme. 3) The use of technology that he claims already exists. At this point in the debate, host Julie Etchingham intervened and said that such technology does not exist and if it did, it would have already been agreed upon. As for Johnson's answer, he said that there are "an abundance and range of solutions" to solve the border issue - he didn't offer any specific examples. Johnson added that : "it can be done by October 31 and if it's not done by 31 October, it can be done in the implementation period". The EU have also said that they won't come to the table until the border issue is resolved. Also, any implementation period will only occur if the Withdrawal Agreement is passed. The EU have said that they will not pass a Withdrawal Agreement without the Irish border issue being resolved. Alan Mendoza, Executive Director of The Henry Jackson Society and a journalist for City A.M, has provided his own take on how to resolve the border issued during a recent discussion on BBC's show Politics Live. Mendoza said: "One of the best things that I've seen recently is the idea that you don't go to Brussels. Instead, you go to Dublin and you literally do a deal with the Irish. "Whether you bribe them or threaten them, one way or the other, to get them into position where they're the ones who drop the opposition to the backstop and that enables the Europeans to do so." After that comment was made, Mendoza's fellow guest, editor and columnist for The Mirror, Alison Phillips, looked absolutely stunned. Take a look... https://twitter.com/lumi_1984/status/1149678401042731008