Brexit deal ‘no closer’ as sides hit impasse over border solution
A BREXIT deal is no closer, according EU negotiator Michel Barnier, who says the two sides have hit ‘a real point of divergence’ over the best way to guarantee peace in Ireland.
Pressure is mounting on the UK to provide a solution to the backstop for avoiding a hard border and protecting the Good Friday Agreement, but the window of opportunity for clinching a deal at an EU summit later this month is closing.
At a tense meeting of the UK cabinet yesterday, Theresa May briefed ministers on new compromise plans aimed at resolving the border issue, which has dogged negotiations with Brussels.
At least seven cabinet ministers warned the British prime minister that the latest proposals may be a concession too far, and Number 10 was last night on red alert for potential resignations.
Mrs May told her ministers that a deal has to be struck this month if it is going to be implemented in time for the UK’s departure from the EU next March.
Ministers were told parliament is scheduled to sit for just 74 days before the UK leaves the EU, with a mass of legislation still to pass.
Mrs May insisted this did not
‘Will have serious consequences’
mean she was ready to strike a deal ‘at any cost’, and said contingency plans for a ‘no-deal’ Brexit were being stepped up.
Speaking yesterday, lead EU negotiator Mr Barnier was downbeat on the prospects of success in the ongoing talks.
‘For now, we are still negotiating and I am not, as I am speaking to you this morning, able to tell you we are close to reaching an agreement,’ he told the Belgian broadcaster RTBF.
‘There is still a real point of divergence on the way of guaranteeing peace in Ireland, that there are no borders in Ireland, while protecting the integrity of the single market.’
Mr Barnier’s stark assessment was compounded yesterday by the view of DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson, who tweeted: ‘Looks like we’re heading for no deal.’
Mr Donaldson added: ‘Such an outcome will have serious consequences for economy of Irish Republic. In addition, UK won’t have to pay a penny more to EU, which means big increase for Dublin. Can’t understand why Irish Government seems so intent on this course.’
Yesterday also saw the Taoiseach defend his decision to consider a review mechanism for the backstop, as requested by Mrs May during a phone call with Leo Varadkar on Monday.
After coming under fire from Opposition parties, Mr Varadkar defended his decision, saying ‘creative solutions and language’ were needed at this crucial stage of negotiations. As reported by the Irish Daily Mail yesterday, such a review is already catered for under Paragraph 49 of the December Joint Report.
The draft Withdrawal Agreement published jointly by the UK and EU last March envisages that the backstop could ‘be overtaken by a subsequent agreement provided that it also addresses the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland, avoids a hard border and protects the Good Friday Agreement in all its dimensions’, the Taoiseach’s spokesman said yesterday.
Some senior figures in the Irish Government were puzzled by Mrs May’s request for a review provision that already exists, and suggested it was an attempt to coax her divided Cabinet towards a deal, in the belief she had secured further concessions.
But Mr Varadkar has not committed to anything other than considering the vague proposals as part of the EU task force, and still insists the EU will not accept any temporary backstop, which he said on Monday ‘isn’t worth the paper it’s written on’.
However, the Opposition yesterday lashed out at the Taoiseach, saying his openness to the review has caused uncertainty at a crucial juncture in the talks.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald yesterday accused Mr Varadkar of making a ‘substantial and reckless change in position’ at this ‘most sensitive time in the negotiation’.
And Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said the problems being faced in the negotiation now could be traced back to the Taoiseach’s ‘megaphone diplomacy’, used as far back as the December Joint Report, in which the UK committed to the backstop.
The UK is keen to secure an EU summit in Brussels later this month with a view to clinching a Brexit deal – but it remains up to Mr Barnier to determine if such a meeting is worthwhile.