Face of Nation : One negotiator said: “We are back where we were three years ago.” Diplomats from the other 27 EU member states were told on Monday that a no-deal scenario could only be avoided by making substantial changes to the plan on the table – which they could not accept. The UK is currently set to leave the EU on 31 October, with or without a deal.
A plan had been negotiated between the EU and former Prime Minister Theresa May, but it was voted down by MPs three times. The new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has pledged to “do or die”, and leave by the deadline – even if it means without an agreement.
UK Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay and Mr Johnson’s European envoy, David Frost. He said Mr Frost had reiterated the prime minister’s stance that the backstop element of Mrs May’s plan – which aims to prevent a hard border returning between Ireland and Northern Ireland – had to be abolished.
He also said Mr Johnson’s new ministers were not bound by commitments made by the previous government. One of the EU’s Brexit negotiators told the meeting that the G7 summit in France at the end of August could mark the point where it became clear a no-deal Brexit was inevitable.
But a diplomat at the meeting told Adam Fleming the comments simply reflected the speech Mr Johnson gave in the Commons the day after he became prime minister. The EU is not optimistic about any agreement with the UK.
The message they are getting from Boris Johnson’s team is they are not going to sign another deal unless it involves getting rid of the backstop. But the EU has been clear time and time again that it isn’t going to do that – the backstop is an integral part of any withdrawal agreement and it has to stay. So the conclusion of officials is there is no reason to get back round the table at the moment, for the simple reason that they don’t think they can meet the conditions Boris Johnson has set.
There are a couple of months to try and eek something out from one of the sides – to see if somebody blinks and there is some room for negotiation either in Brussels or in London. But at the moment, many people think the direction of travel is heading towards a no-deal Brexit.
