16 October 2019

POLITICO: Johnson tells ministers ‘we’re not there yet’ on Brexit deal

There are still "outstanding issues" in the way of achieving a Brexit deal, Boris Johnson told his Cabinet, as talks to reach an agreement before Thursday's European Council summit go down to the wire.

Speaking at a short Cabinet meeting in Downing Street on Wednesday afternoon, the British prime minister said there was "a chance of securing a good deal," his spokesperson said, adding, however, that "we are not there yet" and there are still "a number of outstanding issues" standing in the way.

Johnson spoke to Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar Wednesday morning and shortly after the Cabinet meeting updated Conservative MPs at a meeting of the parliamentary party's "1922" committee.

According to Steve Baker, leader of the Brexiteer European Research Group of Tory MPs, the prime minister told MPs "categorically" that the whole of the U.K., including Northern Ireland, would be leaving the EU's customs union and would be in its own single customs territory.

Baker said Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) still has red lines "that the whole U.K. needs to leave the customs union and be in its own single customs territory, [and] the prime minister has just told us that is what he's going to do."

He added: "The DUP's other important red line is consent in relation to regulatory alignment to the EU and I understand that that also will be carried through; the prime minister's made that clear." [...]

Full article on POLITICO

Related article on POLITICO: Leo Varadkar: ‘Possibility’ of another EU summit on Brexit this month

Related article on The Guardian: Boris Johnson 'will ask EU for extension' if no Brexit deal by Saturday

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