Reports are emerging that appear to show a clear hardening of Boris Johnson’s Brexit stance. Following the leader’s phone call, which was the first communication between the pair since Mr Johnson took over from Theresa May as Prime Minister, reports have filtered out that Boris Johnson told his counterpart Leo Varadkar that Britain will be leaving the European Union at the end of October “no matter what,”. These comments follow Chancellor Sajid Javid decision this week to step up up preparations for a no-deal to the tune of £2.1bn.
This exchange was followed by press releases from both the Irish and British governments Downing Street released a statement stating, “On Brexit, the Prime Minister made clear that the U.K. will be leaving the EU on October 31, no matter what,”. This was followed by a statement from the Irish government that appears to quash talk of further negotiations occurring before the deadline “Noting that the Brexit negotiations take place between the U.K. and the EU, the Taoiseach explained that the EU was united in its view that the Withdrawal Agreement could not be reopened,”
Boris Johnson
Given the fact the EU have disbanded their negotiating team, as well as the sheer complexities of the political calendar before the 31st of October the Irish response seems to be fairly consistent with previous EU press that the withdrawal agreement will not be reopened. However, this did not stop Mr Johnson told Mr Varadkar that he demands the omittance of Mrs May’s controversial backstop plan for the Northern Irish border. The Irish response could not have been clearer, that the backstop was not for changing. They “emphasised to the Prime Minister that the backstop was necessary as a consequence of decisions taken in the U.K. and by the U.K. government. He [Johnson] said that in all scenarios, the government will be steadfast in its commitment to the Belfast Agreement and will never put physical checks or physical infrastructure on the border,”
Previous reports had suggested that Mr Johnson may look to impose a time lock on any backstop agreement. However, Friday’s Downing Street announcement stated, “The prime minister made clear that the government will approach any negotiations which take place with determination and energy and in a spirit of friendship, and that his clear preference is to leave the EU with a deal, but it must be one that abolishes the backstop.” The EU’s negotiating strategy has stayed admirably united in its rhetoric and it would appear this shows little sign of changing.
Current Affairs Correspondent | My name is Oliver Down I am 22, and a staunch brexiteer. I am a Bristolian lad who studied politics in Leicester. I believe in free speech and accurate journalism and I won’t be afraid to give you “the other side” of the story!
