The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Deal close but talks ongoing: Number 10
Reports suggest Johnson making progress in race against time
Downing Street has said Brexit negotiations remain ongoing as reports suggested Boris Johnson is closing in on a new deal after giving significant ground to the EU over the Irish border.
The prime minister is in a race against time to get a fresh agreement negotiated in time for the Brussels summit of European leaders starting tomorrow.
The Guardian reported senior sources on both sides of the Channel saying that a draft treaty could be published this morning after the UK agreed in principle there will be a customs border in the Irish Sea.
But the PM’s official spokesman said: “Talks remain constructive but there is more work still to do.”
Downing Street sources were also downplaying the chances of a breakthrough being imminent and an EU official stressed “talks are ongoing”.
Meanwhile, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said it remained uncertain whether a deal would be ready in time for the Brussels summit.
“The initial indications (from the EU) are that we are making progress, negotiations are moving in the right direction,” he told reporters.
“But whether we will be able to conclude a revised Withdrawal Agreement – which is an international treaty – in time for the summit, that’s as of now unclear.”
Mr Varadkar also revealed that the PM told him during their meeting last week he was “confident” he would be able to do what Theresa May thrice failed to do by getting a deal through the House of Commons.
Suggestions a deal was closing in came as Downing Street declined to recognise a midnight deadline apparently set by EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier.
Mr Barnier warned Mr Johnson that “it is high time to turn good intentions into legal text”.
The PM’s official spokesman said: “We are working hard. The prime minister is aware of the time constraints that we are under.”
Mr Johnson is set to update his Cabinet on Brexit this afternoon in order to give them the most up to date information on progress of the talks.
Downing Street officials are understood to have been meeting with various parliamentary factions in recent days as negotiators hammer out a deal.
Mr Barnier struck a positive note after meeting Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay at the General Affairs Council yesterday morning.
He debriefed EU27 ministers in Luxembourg before tweeting: “Talks are difficult but I believe an agreement is still possible.”
The latest comments came as negotiators stepped up efforts to work out a way to break the deadlock over the Irish backstop – the contingency measure to prevent a hard border on the island.
Irish broadcaster RTE had reported that two sources confirmed that British negotiators would bring forward an updated plan yesterday to deal with the issue of customs and the Irish border.
Ireland’s deputy premier Simon Coveney stressed “significant progress” would need to be made yesterday “if there was to be a deal that Michel Barnier can report on today to EU capitals in advance of the leaders’ summit”.
Meanwhile, Downing Street said Mr Johnson told French president Emmanuel Macron in a phone call that UK officials would “continue to work hard” on securing a Brexit deal.
The two-day EU summit is crucial because the PM must get a new deal approved by MPs by Saturday if he is to avoid a clash over asking for a Brexit delay.