Brexit breakthrough is in God’s hands, says Juncker

‘If you are asking for how long the withdrawal can be postponed, I have no time frame in mind’

JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER, the EU’S most senior official, declared last night that Brexit was “in God’s hands”, as he said Brussels would be open to delaying Brexit if it avoided a no-deal scenario.

In an interview with German newspaper Stuttgarter Zeitung, the eccentric European Commission president said that Brexit was now being dictated by higher forces.

“When it comes to Brexit, it is like being before the courts or on the high seas: we are in God’s hands. And we can never quite be sure when God will take the matter in hand,” Mr Juncker said.

Britain is due to leave the EU and all of its institutions abruptly on March 29 unless it agrees to the Brexit deal secured by Theresa May.

However, to avoid leaving with no deal, the UK could request an extension of the Article 50 process, which would effectively delay Brexit by several months. Mr Juncker said Britain had yet to request an Article 50 extension but added that the EU would not oppose a Brexit delay.

“If you are asking for how long the withdrawal can be postponed, I have no time frame in mind. With Brexit, so many timetables have already gone by the wayside,” he said, suggesting the UK could request a delay of six months or even longer.

It came as British negotiators said they would discuss new proposals with the EU tomorrow about how to break the deadlock over the Irish backstop.

Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, and Geoffrey Cox, the Attorney General, met senior EU officials yesterday to discuss new wording for the backstop clause that would reassure MPS that it was temporary.

Mr Barclay said last night that the Attorney General had “shared his thinking in terms of the legal way forward” with Michel Barnier, the EU’S chief negotiator, and other senior figures in Brussels. The “positive meeting” led to a “next step forward” being agreed by both sides, with both the Attorney General and Mr Barclay due to return tomorrow to expand on their thinking in more detail.

Just hours before British negotiators discussed the backstop with the EU, Ireland’s deputy prime minister warned that Dublin could not accept any changes to the backstop.

“I don’t think there’s any appetite across the EU to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement and change the text,” Simon Coveney told reporters in Brussels.