EU to Johnson: give ground or no Brexit deal possible at summit

Boris Johnson told to make new concessions by 10am (AEDT) or there would be no deal this week.

Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson at Westminster before the Queen’s speech on Monday night. Picture: Getty Images

The European Union told Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday to make new concessions by midnight or there would be no Brexit deal at this week’s summit.

The midnight ultimatum (10am Wednesday AEDT) from Michel Barnier, the EU’s lead negotiator, came at a meeting of European foreign ministers.

The EU insisted that Britain needed to yield on plans for the Irish border or the Prime Minister would be left with nothing to take to the House of Commons in a historic sitting this weekend.

The ultimatum means that unless David Frost, Mr Johnson’s lead negotiator, gives Brussels a new legal text setting out the government’s alternative to the Irish backstop, talks will continue into next week, leaving the Conservative leader with no deal to unveil this weekend.

Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said the deadline was needed if Thursday’s European Council meeting is to sign off an alternative to the Irish backstop.

“If we have an agreement tonight it will be possible to go to the council and then again to the British parliament, but it’s not easy,” he said. “We have some red lines, they are well known by all the partners. I’m hoping it will be possible today to make some progress.”

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said a “big step forward needs to happen today to build on what has been slow, but steady progress”. “There will not be negotiation of text at [the] summit. If there’s going to be a deal at this summit the [EU] and the British negotiating team have to finalise text,” he said. “It is of course possible to move beyond the summit and continue talks next week.”

Mr Barnier “is trying for a deal tonight”, said Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister, and highlighted that “there is some optimism”.

“Otherwise, we will most probably need another summit later this month,” he said.

Arriving in Luxembourg for talks with Mr Barnier and ministers from other EU states this morning, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay said “a deal is still very possible”, but that negotiators “need space to proceed”. Mr Frost held 13 hours of talks on Monday and began a new round of negotiations on Tuesday. Mr Johnson phoned French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday in the most intensive Brexit negotiations since the 2016 referendum.

Meanwhile, the rebel alliance of former Tory MPs is preparing to force Mr Johnson to request a Brexit delay even if he succeeds in getting a deal through the House of Commons this weekend.

Mr Johnson will ask MPs to back any deal he secures from Brussels within 24 hours of the European summit on Thursday and Friday as parliament sits on a Saturday for the first time in nearly 40 years.

However, 21 former Tory MPs are concerned that even if Mr Johnson succeeds in getting his deal through the Commons there may not be enough time to ratify legislation required to implement it before October 31.

There are also fears that Brexiteer “Spartans” of the European Research Group could vote in favour of Mr Johnson’s deal in a meaningful vote but then withdraw their support for the legislation to force through a no-deal Brexit.

The Benn act, which forces the prime minister to request an extension of the Article 50 process, will cease to take effect if MPs vote for Mr Johnson ’s Brexit deal on Saturday.

The former Tory MPs are planning to make the vote on Mr Johnson’s deal “conditional” on the legislation needed to implement it coming into force. As a result, Mr Johnson may still be forced to request an extension.

“We’re wise to that (the risk of no-deal) and won’t let it happen,” one said. “We will find a way of adjusting the (meaningful vote) motion, just in case, to make sure that Benn act is still operational.”

Labour is understood to be supportive of the approach. Another of the former Tories said: “The idea is not to prevent the Prime Minister’s deal from getting through but to prevent the ERG from playing silly buggers.”

Remain MPs are planning to try to force through a vote on a second referendum in a move that could lead to a mass rebellion by Labour MPs and members of the shadow cabinet. They are drawing up plans to attach a confirmatory vote to any deal that is secured. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has brushed off demands from his frontbench to call for a vote on a second referendum before a general election.

The Saturday sitting will be only the fourth in 80 years, and the first since Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in 1982.

The Times