‘No time’ to agree Brexit deal ahead of crucial Brussels talks
Hopes are fading that the UK can strike a Brexit deal before a crucial Brussels summit this week, after the Finnish Prime Minister said there was “no time” to hammer out the details.
Antti Rinne, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, made the comments following talks with the incoming president of the Europeancouncil,formerbelgian Prime Minister Charles Michel.
EU leaders will gather on Thursday in Brussels to consider either a deal, or the possibility of a further extension to the UK’S 31 October Brexit deadline.
“I think there is no time in a practical or legal way to find an agreement before the EU council meeting,” Mr Rinne told reporters in Helsinki. “We need more time.”
Earlier on Monday, the Irish deputy Prime Minister had raised hopes of a breakthrough, saying at a meeting of foreign ministers in Luxembourgh that “a deal is possible, and it’s possible this month, may even be possible this week. But we’re not there yet.”
UK and EU officials continued talks in the Belgian capital yesterday, with a British delegation of around 20 picking over the “nitty-gritty” of a fresh proposal on the future of the Irish border, according to a government source.
Mr Johnson has come under pressure to concede more ground to Brussels, and it has been reported that the UK has dropped a demand that a deal should include a veto for the Stormont Assembly on customs arrangements.
Downing Street confirmed talks had taken place between the PM and the DUP over the weekend. The Prime Minister’s spokesman said on Monday that there was still “a lot of work” to be done, but said talks “remain constructive”.
EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier is reported to have raised concern about the complexity of a British plan to keep Northern Ireland in the UK customs territory while avoiding the need for border controls.
There were reported to be doubts about the feasibility of the scheme which was said to involve tracking goods as they move through Northern Ireland and then determining the tariff to be paid depending where they end up.
A Number 10 spokesman said Mr Johnson will have to decide by Wednesday whether to table a “sitting motion” to summon MPS for a post-summit Brexit showdown in the Commons on Saturday – the first time Parliament will have met at the weekend in 37 years.