The Guardian: Michel Barnier: Boris Johnson’s behaviour has ‘limited the chance’ of a Brexit deal

28 September 2019

Michel Barnier has told the British government that he fears Boris Johnson’s polarising behaviour has effectively blown any chance of finding a majority for a Brexit deal in the Commons.

In private discussions with the Brexit secretary, Stephen Barclay, the EU’s chief negotiator said that developments in Westminster had damaged the already slim hope of winning MPs over.

According to a leaked note of the meeting, Barnier spoke of the “limited chance of approval of a deal in the current parliament” given recent events, an assertion with which Barclay disagreed, insisting a majority could be found.

Barnier concluded, however, in a briefing to EU diplomats for the 27 member states, that the “current polarisation in the UK has further reduced the chances of agreement”, according to minutes seen by the Observer.

The EU is now concerned that any concession it could make would be wasted on such an unstable government, which has burned any political goodwill by deploying the language of betrayal and surrender when talking of those who oppose a no-deal Brexit. [...]

Full article on The Guardian

Statement by the European Commission following today's meeting between Michel Barnier, the European Commission's Chief Negotiator, and Steve Barclay, the UK Secretary of State for Exiting the EU

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