(Bloomberg) — Boris Johnson’s new Brexit proposals will get their first airing in Parliament on Thursday, with the prime minister optimistic he can get a deal past the House of Commons — so long as the European Union shifts its red lines.
EU ambassadors will also discuss the proposals later this afternoon, after early reactions from the bloc on Wednesday suggested that, while some of Johnson’s points are welcome, there remain some major stumbling blocks.
The early signs among domestic opponents of the deal negotiated by Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, are good. The Democratic Unionist Party broadly welcomed the proposals, as did Steve Baker, chairman of the pro-Brexit European Research Group of Conservative MPs. The premier’s de facto deputy, Michael Gove, told ITV’s Robert Peston late on Wednesday he’s confident the proposal can win a “pretty solid majority” in Westminster.
Key Developments:
Johnson plans to suspend Parliament on Tuesday to allow for Oct. 14 Queen’s speechBrexit Secretary Steve Barclay says government to make statement to ParliamentEU ambassadors to meet Thursday afternoon for briefing with the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel BarnierEU negotiations to start by weekendIreland says ‘huge issues’ remainJohnson vows to pursue no-deal exit if EU doesn’t move
Barclay Says EU Negotiations to Start By Weekend (8:25 a.m.)
Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay said he expects negotiations with the U.K.’s EU counterparts to start by the weekend.“We need to move forward at pace, intensively,” he told BBC radio in an interview.
Barclay also pointed to a major concession by the U.K. that may rile some anti-EU backbench Members of Parliament in Johnson’s Conservatives: The continued influence of the European Court of Justice after Brexit.
“There is a continued role for the ECJ in terms of the regulatory zone as part of these proposals and that is one of the areas that we have been willing to be creative and flexible on,” Barclay said. “But it is crucially with the consent of the community in Northern Ireland. The concern with the backstop was this aspect of laws applying over which people had no say.”
Ireland Says ‘Huge Issues’ Remain (Earlier)
The U.K. proposals to break the Brexit impasse form the basis for more talks, but not a deal, junior Irish finance minister Patrick O’Donovan said on Thursday in an RTE Radio interview. “Huge issues” remain on the question of customs checks, which he said were “unacceptable,” and questioned how the Northern Irish power-sharing assembly might exercise consent over the rule alignment needed to avoid a hard border.
Earlier:
Boris Johnson Is Running Out of Time: Brexit Bulletin
What Boris Johnson Didn’t Say in His U.K. Tory Conference Speech
Johnson’s Brexit Plan: The Sticking Points for the U.K. and EU
Johnson’s Five Principles in His Bid to Break Brexit Deadlock
Will Johnson’s Irish Border Plans End Brexit Impasse?: QuickTake
–With assistance from Tiago Ramos Alfaro, Ian Wishart and Jessica Shankleman.
To contact the reporters on this story: Alex Morales in London at [email protected];Dara Doyle in Dublin at [email protected]
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at [email protected], Colin Keatinge
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