EU ministers warn against a ‘no-deal’

Opposition surges

HELSINKI, Aug 29, (Agencies): European Union ministers on Thursday urged Britain to choose an orderly Brexit, with some openly expressing concern that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s move to suspend parliament increased the risk of a chaotic split.

As EU foreign and defence ministers met in Helsinki, Johnson’s government challenged opponents in the British parliament to try to bring it down or change the law to stop Britain’s departure from the bloc on Oct 31. “We still hope it will be possible to avoid a no-deal Brexit and we are looking forward to any proposals from the British government that fit into the Withdrawal Agreement,” Dutch Foreign Minister Stephan Blok said. “It’s in nobody’s interest to see a no-deal Brexit.”

The British parliament has three times rejected the Withdrawal Agreement, the divorce deal agreed between Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May and Brussels, and Johnson has promised to renegotiate it or leave without an agreement on Oct 31.

Johnson’s Brexit negotiator David Frost was in Brussels for talks with the executive European Commission on Wednesday, but Blok said the sides had not managed to bridge divisions.

“I know that there have been serious talks in Brussels but we are not there yet,” he said.

Johnson

An EU diplomat briefed on the meeting said the British side presented no detailed ideas on what could replace the most contentious part of the divorce deal called the backstop, a mechanism that would keep the sensitive Irish border open after Brexit by tying Britain to EU trading rules.

The threat of no-deal Brexit weighed on the sterling on Thursday.

While most ministers avoided comment on the suspension of the British parliament, saying it was an internal matter, Austria’s Alexander Schallenberg said when asked if a hard Brexit was more likely because of the move: “I fear so, yes.”

“The ball is in the UK’s court ... We have done whatever is possible to ensure an orderly exit of Britain,” he said. “When the other side says that’s not possible, they need to say what the alternatives are, namely in substance.”

The EU wants Britain to find solutions to unlock ratification of their divorce treaty.

“The EU is united on the agreement, now it’s up to the UK to decide on that,” said Malta’s Carmelo Abela. Johnson’s Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, in Helsinki, said of parliament’s suspension: “It happens every year.”

Johnson called a Queen’s Speech – the formal state opening of a new parliament at which Queen Elizabeth reads out the government’s priorities and legislative agenda – for Oct 14.

While parliament is normally suspended for a few days ahead of a Queen’s Speech, the move caused outrage because of its timing and the length of the shutdown, which Johnson’s opponents say is an attempt to limit parliament’s ability to derail his Brexit plans weeks before EU exit day.

Finland holds the EU’s rotating presidency and was hosting the ministers on Thursday. Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said: “To support Brexit with the deal is a key issue because otherwise we will face a lot of negative consequences to our economies and our border traffic.”

LONDON:

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Political opposition to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s move to suspend Parliament crystalized Thursday amid protests, legal action and a petition to block the move which has gathered more than 1 million signatures.

Johnson’s maneuver gives his political opponents even less time to prevent a chaotic no-deal Brexit before the Oct 31 withdrawal deadline. But the decision outraged critics and is serving as a unifying force for the disparate opposition, who have confirmed they will press on with measures to block a departure from the European Union without a deal despite Johnson’s actions.

“We will seek to try and put through the appropriate legislation in this constrained timetable that the government has now put before us,” said Barry Gardiner, the opposition Labour Party’s spokesman on international trade.

Thousands packed College Green outside Parliament on Wednesday evening, waving EU flags and placards to express their anger. Smaller rallies took place in other towns and cities while 25 bishops from the Church of England released an open letter about their worries about the “economic shocks” of a no-deal Brexit on the poor and other vulnerable people.