PM candidates set high bar for Brexit talks: no Irish backstop

[Jonathan Fairfield]

PM candidates set high bar for Brexit talks: no Irish backstop

 

 

FILE PHOTO: Boris Johnson, a leadership candidate for Britain's Conservative Party, attends a hustings event in Colchester, Britain July 13, 2019. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

 

LONDON (Reuters) - The two candidates vying to be Britain’s next prime minister set a high bar on Monday for success in Brexit negotiations, saying that even a significant concession from the European Union on the Irish border would be insufficient.

 

Both frontrunner Boris Johnson and underdog Jeremy Hunt said on Monday that they would not be willing to accept the so-called Northern Irish backstop element of Theresa May’s Brexit deal, even if a time limit was set.

 

Britain’s next leader will be announced next week, and has to persuade the EU to restart talks that other EU leaders have been adamant cannot be re-opened, or else lead Britain into the economic uncertainty of an unmanaged exit.

 

Now it is clear the winner must also persuade Brussels to drop one of its most steadfast demands - an insurance policy designed to prevent the return of a hard border between EU-member Ireland and British province Northern Ireland.

 

Asked during a leadership debate whether the backstop would be acceptable if a time limit could be agreed, both Johnson and Hunt said it would not.

 

“I’m not attracted to time limits or unilateral escape hatches or all these elaborate devices, glosses, codicils and so on that you could apply to the backstop,” Johnson said during a leadership debate organised by the Sun newspaper and TalkRadio.

 

Hunt agreed, adding: “The backstop, as it is, is dead ... I don’t think tweaking it with a time limit will do the trick, we’ve got to find a new way.”

 

Opposition to the backstop within Britain’s deeply divided parliament was one of the key reasons outgoing Prime Minister May’s deal was rejected three times by lawmakers - losses that ultimately forced her to resign.

 

But a senior lawmaker from Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, which props up the Conservatives in parliament and opposed May’s deal, said last month the party was not looking for “earth-shattering” changes to the backstop.

 

Eliminating a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland and providing frictionless trade was a crucial part of a 1998 peace deal that ended three decades of sectarian violence.

 

The two candidates’ positions set out on Monday go far beyond what May managed to negotiate with the EU.

 

NEW DEAL

 

The European Union has said it is not prepared to renegotiate the deal, but both Hunt and Johnson are promising to do so, and want to take Britain out of the EU by the current deadline of Oct. 31.

 

Johnson has the more hardline stance and refuses to countenance any further delay to Brexit after May’s government was forced to delay it twice beyond its original date of March 29.

 

When it was put to Johnson that it was completely unrealistic to get the deal renegotiated and passed by Oct. 31, he said: “I don’t think it is remotely unrealistic.”

 

Hunt says he would be prepared to delay Brexit if a deal were in sight, but that he would take Britain out of the bloc without one if it was clear no agreement could be reached. He warned parliament not to try and block a no-deal Brexit.

 

“I would urge my colleagues not to take no deal off the table, I think it is one of the most dangerous and destructive things they can do when we are trying to get a deal but we can’t control what parliament does,” Hunt said.

 

“The deal that is going to get through the House of Commons, the deal that is going to get us out of the EU won’t have that backstop and that is what we are going to put right.”

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-07-16

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[fishtank]

Boris in dreamland.

Revoking article 50 is only way out of this shambles

 

[Baerboxer]

1 hour ago, fishtank said:

Boris in dreamland.

Revoking article 50 is only way out of this shambles

 

 

Revoking Article 50 would be sensible. It would eliminate the time pressure. It was a big mistake from a negotiating point of view to set Article 50 in motion with absolutely no idea of what a deal would look like or any vision of how to get to one. Another Tory fcku up in their anxiousness to "deliver" Brexit. The time pressure created worked against them - numpties!

[canopus1969]

Well done Boris, deliver a No Deal and let's get the hell away from the EU - the sooner the better !

[Emdog]

The Good Friday agreement which ended "the troubles" specified no hard border in Ireland, correct? The UK government signed it, right? Was there an "escape clause" written in? "We can ignore this if UK leaves EU"? I think not.

[usviphotography]

Looks like UK finally about to get smart leadership. The Irish Problem is has never been the UK's problem. Artificially taking it on was one of May's many dopey moves. UK should ignore completely and if EU wants to force hard border on Irish Government, let them try and see how that works out for them. 

[stephenterry]

35 minutes ago, canopus1969 said:

Well done Boris, deliver a No Deal and let's get the hell away from the EU - the sooner the better !

Fine. And then what?

[stephenterry]

13 minutes ago, usviphotography said:

Looks like UK finally about to get smart leadership. The Irish Problem is has never been the UK's problem. Artificially taking it on was one of May's many dopey moves. UK should ignore completely and if EU wants to force hard border on Irish Government, let them try and see how that works out for them. 

It's really about how it works out for the UK that's the issue. Probably a break-up of the Union for starters. But hey, never mind, we'll all sink together. 

[stephenterry]

20 minutes ago, Emdog said:

The Good Friday agreement which ended "the troubles" specified no hard border in Ireland, correct? The UK government signed it, right? Was there an "escape clause" written in? "We can ignore this if UK leaves EU"? I think not.

Seems like BJ can, which is good news as it brings forward a GE and the end of him, the Tory party, and Brexit. 

[HauptmannUK]

BJ cannot deliver on this. Britain signed the Good Friday Agreement which specifies no hard border. Even if the UK ignores the EU, the US will raise hell if there is any chance of a hard border. 

In BJ's interview yesterday he also declined to commit to any reduction in immigration. Immigration is a red-button issue for most Brexit supporters. If we get Dilip from Delhi instead of Mariusz from Warsaw it will not go down well.  I suspect that Brexit supporters have high expectations of seeing tangible benefits quite soon after leaving. If immigration doesn't show a sharp drop, Sterling falls further, inflation and unemployment rise, then expect to see the end of the Conservative Party in its current form. As to the Brexit party, well Farage will probably rapidly disappear from the scene, collect his EU pension (paid in Euros) to live a quiet life in rural France with his girlfriend.

[petemoss]

38 minutes ago, usviphotography said:

Looks like UK finally about to get smart leadership. The Irish Problem is has never been the UK's problem. Artificially taking it on was one of May's many dopey moves. UK should ignore completely and if EU wants to force hard border on Irish Government, let them try and see how that works out for them. 

Really? You obviously didn't live through the troubles. Almost all of the deaths and mayhem took place in the UK. Sorry but there's no way that we want to return to that.

[petemoss]

The latest news is that both candidates have abandoned hope of getting a new deal from Brussels and are now going full bore for a no deal Brexit. The £ is already tumbling on this latest news.

 

If the winning candidate pursues this, and it sounds as though they will, there would be an immediate vote of no confidence in the government and a snap General Election. Bye bye Tory party. Boris stands to be one of the shortest lived Prime Ministers in history.

[sanemax]

Just now, petemoss said:

The latest news is that both candidates have abandoned hope of getting a new deal from Brussels and are now going full bore for a no deal Brexit. The £ is already tumbling on this latest news.

 

If the winning candidate pursues this, and it sounds as though they will, there would be an immediate vote of no confidence in the government and a snap General Election. Bye bye Tory party. Boris stands to be one of the shortest lived Prime Ministers in history.

I do think that you are getting a bit too far ahead of yourself .

Boris hasnt even been elected as PM yet , and you have already predicted his demise . 

[petemoss]

1 minute ago, sanemax said:

I do think that you are getting a bit too far ahead of yourself .

Boris hasnt even been elected as PM yet , and you have already predicted his demise . 

Whichever candidate gets elected it will be the same result vis-a-vis a no deal Brexit. Boris is short odds favourite to win.

 

It's not me that's predicting it , it's what both candidates have announced. Tune in to UK news if you don't believe me. The rest is what the bookies and the money markets are predicting. Don't shoot the messenger.

[Krataiboy]

3 hours ago, fishtank said:

Boris in dreamland.

Revoking article 50 is only way out of this shambles

 

Let me guess: you're a Remainer.

[Krataiboy]

45 minutes ago, stephenterry said:

Fine. And then what?

Then we would have got what a majority in the referendum voted for. That's what.

[stephenterry]

1 minute ago, Krataiboy said:

Then we would have got what a majority in the referendum voted for. That's what.

And then what?

[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

even a significant concession from the European Union on the Irish border would be insufficient.

No fear of that.

There will be a hard border with a no-deal Brexit.

Irish born in Northern Ireland will not become Republic of Ireland citizens.

The UK and Northern Ireland will have to either stop trade across the Republic of Ireland border or accept a hard border as EU will have every else involving trade with the UK as a consequence of Brexit.

[puipuitom]

1 hour ago, Emdog said:

The Good Friday agreement which ended "the troubles" specified no hard border in Ireland, correct? The UK government signed it, right? Was there an "escape clause" written in? "We can ignore this if UK leaves EU"? I think not.

The value of an agreement with the U.K: 20 years.

I hope the Irish will take a consequence out of that.

[puipuitom]

33 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

No fear of that.

There will be a hard border with a no-deal Brexit.

Irish born in Northern Ireland will not become Republic of Ireland citizens.

The UK and Northern Ireland will have to either stop trade across the Republic of Ireland border or accept a hard border as EU will have every else involving trade with the UK as a consequence of Brexit.

Curious how many North-Irish will agree with you.

[puipuitom]

2 hours ago, canopus1969 said:

Well done Boris, deliver a No Deal and let's get the hell away from the EU - the sooner the better !

If.. Parliament comes with another conclusion.

Oh wait… simply send them home... as after the Reichstag fire in 1933

[petemoss]

6 minutes ago, puipuitom said:

Curious how many North-Irish will agree with you.

Did you colour that in yourself? Bit pointless without a key or a source.

 

I presume green is vegetarian and red is meat eaters. Am I right?

 

 

[petemoss]

8 minutes ago, puipuitom said:

If.. Parliament comes with another conclusion.

Oh wait… simply send them home... as after the Reichstag fire in 1933

Yes, Boris has stated that he will dissolve parliament and make an executive decision, if his plan doesn't pass through Parliament. He shouldn't listen to Trump so much. Doesn't he need Royal Assent for that? Can't see Her Majesty going with a plan that will break up the Union.

[mfd101]

Charles to HM: Don't worry, Mumsie, we can plant trees along the border.

[Krataiboy]

2 hours ago, stephenterry said:

And then what?

The freedom to be the great nation we have the potential to be.

[soalbundy]

4 hours ago, canopus1969 said:

Well done Boris, deliver a No Deal and let's get the hell away from the EU - the sooner the better !

Say goodbye to Northern Ireland and then Scotland....grand isolation, as one politician said in the early days of the NHS, "here's a fine vision, free teeth and nought to bite on"

[soalbundy]

Just now, Krataiboy said:

The freedom to be the great nation we have the potential to be.

You are a bit late there, every country has its day, we were great, it's gone, it is early mist, Americas wind down is coming, a nation that went from barbarism to decadence without the usual interval of civilisation in between is encountering Asia like a startled deer in the headlights. The Uk will retire quietly back to what it was, an island in the North sea, allowed greatness by the grace of God for two hundred years.

[soalbundy]

3 hours ago, Krataiboy said:

Then we would have got what a majority in the referendum voted for. That's what.

and ignore almost half the nation, we aren't yet so enlightened as to have proportional representation so the rest can get stuffed, that will work.

[bannork]

4 hours ago, Krataiboy said:

Then we would have got what a majority in the referendum voted for. That's what.

But not a majority of the UK population that could vote. 52%-48% in the referendum, hardly a overwhelming figure, and only 37% of the number of voters in the UK. 

[Krataiboy]

3 hours ago, soalbundy said:

You are a bit late there, every country has its day, we were great, it's gone, it is early mist, Americas wind down is coming, a nation that went from barbarism to decadence without the usual interval of civilisation in between is encountering Asia like a startled deer in the headlights. The Uk will retire quietly back to what it was, an island in the North sea, allowed greatness by the grace of God for two hundred years.

I was a war baby and remember with enormous pride and admiration how my parents' generation build a new Jerusalem from the wreckage of the old.

 

The challenges we faced back then were far greater than any posed by Brexit. If we fail it will be because of the pessimistic defeatism your posting epitomises.  

 

So man up - or, to quote the immortal bard, "Screw your courage to the sticking place and we'll not fail".