The government has rejected claims it is unwilling to negotiate with the EU and wants talks to fail to allow a no-deal Brexit
London (Pakistan Point News / Online - 06th August, 2019) The government has rejected claims it is unwilling to negotiate with the EU and wants talks to fail to allow a no-deal Brexit.It comes after the EU said UK demands to remove the Irish backstop from Theresa May's deal were unacceptable.EU negotiators told European diplomats there was currently no basis for "meaningful discussions" and talks were back where they were three years ago.Downing Street said the EU needed to "change its stance".
The withdrawal agreement negotiated by May has been rejected three times by MPs.Many opponents cite concerns over the backstop - an insurance policy to prevent a hard border returning on the island of Ireland - which if implemented, would see Northern Ireland staying aligned to some rules of the EU single market.It would also involve a temporary single customs territory, effectively keeping the whole of the UK in the EU customs union. These arrangements would apply unless and until both the EU and UK agreed they were no longer necessary.
A No 10 spokesperson said: "The prime minister wants to meet EU leaders and negotiate a new deal - one that abolishes the anti-democratic backstop."We will throw ourselves into the negotiations with the greatest energy and the spirit of friendship and we hope the EU will rethink its current refusal to make any changes to the withdrawal agreement."New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to leave the EU by the deadline of 31 October, with or without a deal.
A senior EU diplomat told the meeting a no-deal Brexit appeared to be the UK government's "central scenario", according to the Daily Telegraph and theGuardian."It was clear UK does not have another plan. No intention to negotiate, which would require a plan," the diplomat is reported to have said.Frost reiterated the prime minister's stance that the backstop element of May's plan must be abolished.He also stressed that Johnson's new ministers were not bound by commitments made by the previous government.
Further talks between the two sides have not been ruled out, and Adam Fleming said the G7 summit in France at the end of August could be the moment of truth - the point at which a no-deal Brexit becomes inevitable.Meanwhile, Johnson is due to meet his first foreign leader since entering Downing Street when Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas arrives for talks.The country's Foreign Minister, Urmas Reinsalu, said while the "reality" was that the withdrawal agreement - including the backstop - had been jointly agreed by EU member states, there was still a need for continued dialogue in the coming weeks to avoid a no-deal Brexit.He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme alternatives to the backstop could be discussed after the ratification of the withdrawal deal.
