Deal can be done by Oct 31, say Irish
Varadkar suggests a breakthrough is possible after Johnson gives ground on NI customs union
A BREXIT deal is possible by Oct 31, the Irish prime minister said last night, as he suggested a last-minute breakthrough could be on the horizon.
After a three-hour meeting, Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar said they could see a “pathway to a deal”.
Last night, reports emerged from Ireland that Mr Johnson was preparing to give ground on the issue of Northern Ireland staying in a customs union with the EU.
The focus will now shift to Brussels, where this morning Stephen Barclay, the Brexit Secretary, will meet Michel Barnier, the EU’S chief negotiator.
Sources said Mr Barnier would assess whether enough progress had been made to justify the EU intensifying negotiations ahead of the summit next week.
While Downing Street remained tight-lipped about whether a breakthrough was in sight, the pound surged following the meeting. Mr Varadkar said: “What’s happened today would be sufficient to allow negotiations to resume in Brussels.”
It marked a significant shift of tone from the Taoiseach following days of acrimonious exchanges between London, Dublin and Brussels in which the Brexit talks appeared close to collapse.
Mr Johnson still faces several hurdles in Brussels and domestically before he can get any potential deal passed.
Failure to secure an agreement would see Mr Johnson enter renewed battles with Parliament over no deal. However, a last-minute breakthrough could alienate Brexiteers in his party who would view it as a concession.
A poll published in today’s Daily Telegraph shows that a failure to leave by Oct 31 with or without a deal would result in Mr Johnson struggling to win a majority in a general election.
Mr Johnson and Mr Varadkar met one-on-one in Merseyside for most of the three hours, with officials joining them towards the end. Discussions “concentrated on the challenges of customs and consent”, Downing Street said.
A No 10 source said: “Talks were constructive. The next thing is Brussels.”
A senior Irish source suggested there had been movement on the principle of consent and another said there were detailed discussions about the future trading relationship between Ireland and the UK. However, it is also understood the two sides were still far apart on the question of where a future customs border would lie.
Mr Barnier is now expected to make the call as to whether Brussels can enter “tunnel” negotiations – intensive secret talks with core stakeholders.
Speaking to reporters at Liverpool airport after the meeting, Mr Varadkar said: “I think it is possible for us to come to an agreement, to have a treaty to allow the UK to leave the EU in an orderly fashion, and to have that done by the end of October.”
However, he added: “There is many a slip between cup and lip. In terms of how long it will take, I can’t predict that with any certainty, but I think all sides would like there to be an agreement next week at the council if possible.” He added that he could see a “short pathway rather than a long one” to a deal.
Asked who made concessions to
break the impasse, Mr Varadkar said: “I don’t think this should be seen in the context of who’s making concessions… I don’t think that’s the game any of us want to play.” Earlier in a joint statement, the leaders said they would “reflect” on their talks while officials continued to “engage intensively”.
Asked if the meeting represented progress, a source close to Mr Barclay said: “Guess we’ll find out at breakfast.”
David Frost, the PM’S Brexit sherpa who was in the meeting with Mr Varadkar, last night went to Brussels to brief Mr Barclay.
A source close to a Brexiteer Cabinet minister said: “I’ve always thought there would be a deal at the last minute. From the conversations I have been part of, I one-hundred-per-cent believe our side want a deal if they can get it.”
A Dublin official said the meeting “went better than expected”, while Michael Gove, in charge of government no-deal planning, said: “I know the tone was positive.” The pound surged half a cent against the dollar following the joint statement, before going even higher after a report from the Irish Times stated there had been “significant movement” in the UK’S position.
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson’s allies in Westminster will attempt to rally MPS to back any deal he can secure. Penny Mordaunt, the former defence secretary, today writes on the Telegraph website: “It’s still not too late to secure an agreement.”
A poll presented at the Conservative Party conference suggested Mr Boris Johnson cannot get a majority in a general election unless he delivers Brexit on Oct 31.