EU pledges to work with Johnson for an ‘orderly’ withdrawal

THE European Union has promised to work with Boris Johnson to achieve an “orderly” Brexit – but that would mean ratifying a Withdrawal Agreement the incoming prime minister has already declared dead.

Brussels has repeatedly said it will not reopen the deal but Mr Johnson has said fundamental changes are needed.

European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans stressed that the EU’s position on the issue was clear. Mr Timmermans said a no-deal Brexit would be “a tragedy for all sides, not just for the United Kingdom”.

“We are all going to suffer if that happens,” he told reporters in Brussels.

In a reference to the two versions of Mr Johnson’s article in which he finally came out in support of Brexit, Mr Timmermans said: “He took a long time deciding whether he was for or against Brexit and now his position is clear.

“I think the position of the EU is also clear: the United Kingdom reached an agreement with the European Union and the European Union will stick to that agreement. We will hear what the new prime minister has to say when he comes to Brussels.”

The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, also stressed that the Withdrawal Agreement was the basis for an orderly withdrawal.

On Twitter, he said “we look forward to working constructively” with the new prime minister “to facilitate the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement and achieve an orderly Brexit”.

He added that the EU was prepared to “rework” the Political Declaration setting out the aims for the future relationship, something that Brussels has already indicated it would do.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said he looked forward to “an early engagement on Brexit, Northern Ireland and bilateral relations”.

Mr Barnier will meet MEPs on the European Parliament’s Brexit Steering Group today to discuss Mr Johnson’s approach.

Guy Verhofstadt, the parliament’s Brexit co-ordinator, said he was “looking forward to defending the interest of all Europeans”.

Mr Johnson’s political style was criticised by Lithuania’s European Commissioner, Vytenis Andriukaitis. In a blog post entitled “Boris, you are wrong”, he claimed “fake facts” of the type used by the new Tory leader were killing democracy.