17 October 2019

Financial Times: EU and UK reach agreement on Brexit deal

The agreement, announced on Thursday morning in Brussels ahead of an EU leaders’ summit, represents a big leap forward for Mr Johnson, UK prime minister, following weeks of inconclusive talks.

Jean-Claude Juncker, European Commission president, wrote on Twitter: “Where there is a will, there is a #deal — we have one! It’s a fair and balanced agreement for the EU and the UK and it is testament to our commitment to find solutions.”

Attention has quickly shifted to London, where the UK parliament is set to vote on the new deal on Saturday.

Sterling slipped 0.2 per cent to drop below $1.28 in early afternoon trading after the Democratic Unionist party, Mr Johnson’s Northern Irish allies, said it would not support the new deal.

“These proposals are not, in our view, beneficial to the economic wellbeing of Northern Ireland and they undermine the integrity of the union,” the DUP said in a statement. [...]

The failure to win over the DUP raises serious questions over the prime minister’s ability to clinch enough support for the deal in Westminster — an issue that is likely to hang over the leaders’ summit.

Labour has also said it will vote against the deal. Jeremy Corbyn, Labour leader, said the new agreement was “even worse than Theresa May’s”.

“This sellout deal won’t bring the country together and should be rejected. The best way to get Brexit sorted is to give the people the final say in a public vote,” he said.  [...]

Full article on Financial Times (subscription required)

Brexit: European Commission recommends the European Council (Article 50) to endorse the agreement reached on the revised Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland and revised Political Declaration

UK Government: New Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland and Political Declaration

© Financial Times