PARIS - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday that under no circumstances would the United Kingdom set up border checks on the boundary between EU member Ireland and the British region of Northern Ireland.

Speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macron as he arrived in Paris for Brexit talks, Johnson said he understood the EU's desire to preserve the integrity of its single market, but believed this was compatible with a Brexit deal that would also preserve the integrity of the United Kingdom.

(Reporting by Will James, writing by Estelle Shirbon; editing by Stephen Addison) ((estelle.shirbon@thomsonreuters.com;))