The new Northern Ireland Secretary has left the door open to the possibility of a Brexit deal that includes the Irish border backstop.

Julian Smith today met the Tánaiste Simon Coveney on his first visit to Northern Ireland since his appointment.

After the meeting, Minister Coveney warned that the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had put Britain on a “collision course” with the EU and Ireland with his insistence that the backstop must be ‘abolished’ to break the Brexit deadlock.

This evening, Mr Smith rejected that claim.

“I don’t think we are on a collision course,” he said.

“I think we need to find solutions particularly for the issue of the border – but the prime minister was very, very clear to his Cabinet yesterday that he wants to get a deal done.

“But we do need to have structured conversations with the EU and I think they are open to doing that.”

He said he agreed with Mr Johnson that Brexit has to be resolved by October 31st – and said the UK Government will do “everything we can to solve this border issue and deliver a deal.”

Asked whether he was committed to the backstop and whether that deal would include it, he said: “I think we need to look at border solutions which will deliver on the deal and ensure that we get this over the line at Westminster.”

The new Northern Secretary Julian Smith speaks to the media in Derry, 26-07-2019. Image: Rebecca Black/PA Wire/PA Images

He said he is “acutely aware of the specific and very particular issues” that Brexit has thrown up for the border region and noted that his conversations with officials today had enforced that certainty.

“I met with the Chamber of Commerce just now; lots of businesses from the agri-sector, from the transportation sector from the port sector talking about their employees coming from south of border, cross-border trade and obviously public service impacts.

“I am aware of those; I want to get even more clear of those issues but my view is that we will do everything we can to solve this border issue and deliver a deal.”

The EU has repeatedly ruled out any renegotiation of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, which includes the backstop.

Yesterday, the Chief EU Negotiator Michel Barnier said Mr Jonhson’s demand for the abolition of the backstop was “of course unacceptable.”

Tánaiste Simon Coveney meets Northern Secretary Julian Smith in Northern Ireland

He said the EU remained willing to rework the political declaration on the future relationship to alleviate fears of the backstop ever coming into force.

This afternoon, Minister Coveney said Mr Johnson’s stance was "very unhelpful."

"He seems to have made a deliberate decision to put Britain on a collision course with the European Union and Ireland in relation to the Brexit negotiations.

"I think only he can answer the question as to why he's doing that.

"I think it's been made very clear from the Taoiseach, Michel Barnier and Presidents [Donald] Tusk and [Jean-Claude] Juncker that the approach that the British prime minister seems to now be taking is not going to be the basis of an agreement - and that's worrying for everybody."

Mr Johnson has not spoken to the Taoiseach since taking office.

He has spoken to the European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker and the French President Emmanuel Macron by phone.

He is due to travel to France to meet President Macron in person in the coming weeks.