Merkel message of hope
BORIS Johnson’s hopes of a last- ditch Brexit agreement were boosted yesterday when Angela Merkel declared there was ‘every chance’ of a deal. The German Chancellor struck an upbeat tone, telling German MPs: ‘We still have every chance of getting an orderly [Brexit] and the German government will do everything it can to make that possible – right up to the last day.’
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson himself raised hopes of an agreement before the October 31 deadline, declaring that the ‘mood is changing’ and there was ‘movement under the keel’.
It emerged earlier this week that he has proposed replacing the controversial Irish backstop with an all-Ireland food standards zone in a bid to break the Brexit deadlock.
It has been suggested that the Government’s confidence and supply partners in the DUP are potentially receptive to the idea, which would allow livestock and agricultural goods to move freely across the border.
However, senior DUP MPs have made it clear they will not accept a return to the idea of a Northern Ireland-only backstop to replace the UK-wide backstop in Theresa May’s deal.
During his ‘People’s PMQs’ session on Facebook yesterday, Mr Johnson offered reassurance that he had also ruled out this idea, saying: ‘We will not accept a Northern Ireland- only backstop.’ The Prime Minister added: ‘ The backstop is going to be removed ... I very much hope, or I insist.’
He continued: ‘ We have to solve the problem of the Northern Ireland border but we’re working very hard to do that.
‘The mood is changing, the ice floes are cracking, there is movement under the keel.’
Despite Mrs Merkel’s positive proclamation she added a note of caution, insisting that the EU must still be ‘ prepared for a disorderly Brexit’.
And she hinted that the bloc is unlikely to drop its insistence on ‘level playing field’ guarantees in a future trade deal.
Mrs Merkel added: ‘ The fact remains that after the withdrawal of Britain, we have a competitor at our door, even if we want to keep close economic, foreign and security co- operation and friendly relations.’
Meanwhile, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez warned: ‘A hard Brexit without an agreement has become the most likely scenario. It is not possible to make other concessions.’
Mr Johnson has proposed reducing the backstop to an allIreland food standards zone to ensure there does not need to be a hard border while a trade deal is negotiated.
But EU diplomats yesterday said alignment on agricultural and plant products alone would be likely to be rejected as it only covers around 30 per cent of trade across the border and would leave ‘massive cracks’ in the single market’s external border. One said: ‘If you added the pharmaceutical sector, which is about 15 per cent, and manufacturing, which is about 23 per cent, then EU leaders might well go for it.’
EU officials and diplomats believe Mr Johnson will not fully spell out his new Brexit plan until after Tory Party conference in early October to stave off any potential backlash from rebellious MPs.
Some EU leaders, including Mrs Merkel, are said to be open to considering ways of ‘kicking’ decisions over the backstop into the second phase of talks on the future trade deal.
Yesterday Mr Johnson’s Brexit negotiator David Frost met EU officials to emphasise the need for Britain to be able to break free from Brussels rules, even if it means tariffs on some goods.
Mr Frost has said Britain wants a ‘clean break’ allowing divergence from EU regulations on tax, competition, state aid and the environment.
The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, is said to have struck a ‘not especially positive’ tone during a meeting with members of the European Parliament, saying progress on talks was sluggish due to the political situation in London.
‘There’s movement under the keel’