New Brexit plan and a new suspension of parliament
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson bounced onto the stage at the annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester yesterday and announced what he said were “constructive and reasonable proposals” for getting a Brexit deal done by the end of October.
He was cheered in the conference hall, but his long-awaited written plan was met with raised eyebrows in Europe and roundly dismissed by opposition lawmakers in Britain.
Johnson didn’t win any additional support when, hours later, his spokesman announced that the government would seek to suspend — or “prorogue” — Parliament from October 8 through October 14, when Queen Elizabeth II would come to the chamber to deliver the “Queen’s Speech” and set the stage for a new agenda.
Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that the fiveweek suspension Johnson had requested was “unlawful”. This break would be far shorter, but would happen just a few days before Johnson must try to seal a deal with European leaders at an October 17 summit.
In a letter to European President Jean-Claude Juncker detailing his new proposals, Johnson reiterated his opposition to the Irish “backstop” — negotiated by his predecessor Theresa May to guarantee an open border in Ireland. In stark contrast to earlier Brexit deals, Johnson’s plan would recreate two borders where there are now none. There would be an EU-UK customs border between the north and south of Ireland, and a new regulatory border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.
Previously, such ideas had been anathema to Northern Ireland unionists, who resent any suggestion that their region is distinct.
Johnson’s ideas were not immediately rejected in Brussels or other European capitals, as has at times been the case following British negotiation gambits. Several analysts, though, said the prospect of a breakthrough didn’t look good.
Juncker cited “positive advances,” especially the proposal to keep many Northern Ireland regulations aligned with EU standards. But he said that there were “problematic points” related to Britain’s apparent unwillingness to commit to keeping the Irish border fully and permanently open.
Irish leader Leo Varadkar was sceptical: “The proposals do not fully meet the agreed objectives of the backstop.”
Raoul Ruparel, who left his post as a UK government adviser last week, tweeted that the offer would require “big concessions” from the EU and Ireland: “I suspect they would rather gamble on an extension & election.”
Even if a version of this plan were accepted by EU leaders, it would be difficult for Johnson to win passage of the deal in a bitterly divided British Parliament.
Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, called Johnson’s plan “worse than Theresa May’s deal”. Corbyn said he was especially concerned about the potential to “undermine the Good Friday agreement”.