Is Boris closer to an accord with Brussels over Brexit?

Is Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson approaching a Brexit breakthrough? That’s the question being asked among Conservative MPs after there appeared to be movement last week from the government and Northern Ireland’s DUP that could help to secure a deal with the EU. Earlier this week the Prime Minister met with EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in Luxembourg to discuss the prospect, over a lunch of pollock and risotto.

On the conclusion of the meeting, a No. 10 spokesman said the pair had agreed to step up discussions and for Michel Barnier and Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay to hold talks on a political level:

“The leaders agreed that the discussions needed to intensify and that meetings would soon take place on a daily basis. It was agreed that talks should also take place at a political level between Michel Barnier and the Brexit secretary, and conversations would also continue between EU president Juncker and the Prime Minister.”

However, a European Commission spokesperson had a somewhat more gloomy readout — saying that they still had not received from Boris Johnson specific proposals on replacing the backstop:

“President Juncker recalled that it is the UK’s responsibility to come forward with legally operational solutions that are compatible with the withdrawal agreement. President Juncker underlined the commission’s continued willingness and openness to examine whether such proposals meet the objectives of the backstop. Such proposals have not yet been made.”

So, is this real progress or simply both sides attempting to avoid blame for a breakdown for the time being? Agreeing to increase the number of discussions taking place to daily does suggest the EU is interested in finding a solution. However, it is clear from the commission comments that Mr Juncker sees the responsibility for this as primarily sitting with the United Kingdom.

What’s more, there is anger towards Boris Johnson from some EU leaders as was demonstrated on Monday when the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, gave a press conference after his meeting with the British PM. The two had been meant to give a joint press conference. However, loud anti-Brexit protests meant that Boris Johnson's team asked to move the presser inside. Mr Bettel reportedly refused and instead gave a press conference alone (to whoops and cheers) with two lecterns out — thereby “empty chairing” the British PM. During his appearance, Mr Bettel suggested that progress on agreeing on a deal was slow to non-existent. He also found time to break with etiquette and mock Boris Johnson during the press conference — also criticising the “Leave” campaign and saying the UK alone was to blame for Brexit:

“For me, I just have one withdrawal agreement on the table. And it's the one from last year. There are no changes. There are no concrete proposals for the moment on the table. And I won’t give an agreement to ideas. We need written proposals and the time is ticking. So stop speaking, but act if you want to discuss different proposals, but we won’t accept any agreement [which] goes against the single market [or] the Good Friday Agreement.”

Inside the British government, there is a view that they have one shot to present concrete proposals to Brussels. It follows that there is a reluctance to do this until they believe they have met all of the tests set by Brussels on alternative arrangements to the backstop. As James revealed on Saturday, Barclay has told colleagues they have managed to find a way to avoid infrastructure that undermines the Good Friday Agreement as well as a way to protect the integrity of the EU's single market. However, where there is still a way to go is how to avoid the need for checks on goods on the island of Ireland. This remains pivotal for breaking the deadlock.

With Boris Johnson also insisting that he has no plans to seek a Brexit delay despite a parliamentary bill ordering him to do so, there could be another reason that aides see a positive in delaying an unveiling of any specific proposal. If they are able to prove to Mr Juncker that no deal is a real possibility, the commission could be more likely to compromise in the way Boris Johnson requires EU leaders to in order to agree a deal he can sell back home.

By arrangement with the Spectator