British leader’s Brexit plan given lukewarm reception by EU as October 31 deadline looms
European Union leaders dismissed the prospects of an early Brexit breakthrough after British leader Boris Johnson unveiled new plans to break the months-long deadlock.
Mr Johnson told MPs on Thursday that his proposals were “constructive and reasonable”.
But he said he was some way from securing an agreement before the UK’s planned departure from the EU on October 31.
“They do not deliver everything that we would have wished,” Mr Johnson told parliament. “They do represent a compromise.
“While, as I stand here today, we are some way from a resolution, it is to the credit of our European friends that they have accepted the need to address these issues.”
The proposals are an attempt to avoid border checks in Northern Ireland, but senior EU officials indicated they fell short of what they needed.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said the approach “did not fully meet the agreed objectives of the backstop” amid concerns that the proposals threatened the hardwon peace after decades of civil strife in Ireland.
His deputy, Simon Coveney, was less diplomatic. “If that is the final proposal, there will be no deal,” he said.
Senior EU leaders said they stood behind EU member the Republic of Ireland and also expressed concerns that Brexit could disrupt the single market across the bloc.
The EU said it was the UK’s job to address the problems. “As we have said there are problematic points in the United Kingdom’s proposal and further work is needed. But that work needs to be done by the United Kingdom and not the other way around,” EU Commission spokeswoman Natasha Bertaud said.
Mr Johnson wants a new deal in place before an October 17 summit of EU leaders.
The UK’s plan involves customs checks on the island of Ireland – split between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland – but continued alignment of regulations struck during more than four decades of EU membership.
But Northern Ireland’s Assembly will be able to veto arrangements with a vote every four years. The proposals would also allow the UK to try to strike trade agreements with countries outside the EU.
Early soundings suggested that Mr Johnson’s plans could receive the backing of MPs but key to any agreement is convincing EU leaders.
The UK opposition has accused the government of not being serious about a deal. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn claimed the deal was worse than the one secured by Mr Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May, which was rejected three times by MPs.