A day of high Brexit drama beckons on Wednesday as the UK and the EU battle against the clock to secure a deal ahead of this week’s crucial meeting of European leaders. Brexit talks continued late on Tuesday night as both sides try to draw up a legal text to put to the European Council summit which begins on Thursday. The UK is due to leave the EU on October 31. Negotiations have resumed on Wednesday, which is seen as a sign that a deal may still be possible. The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier is said to have told Commissioners that he is optimistic of finalising a deal today.
Reports have suggested the UK has made concessions in response to the EU’s concerns over the Irish border and customs arrangements. Although a deal may be close, it will be the task of getting an agreement drawn up, approved by EU national leaders and ratified by the UK and European parliaments that poses a huge challenge. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson held meetings with Conservative Eurosceptics and Northern Irish unionists on Tuesday evening. Their support will be crucial if any deal is to be passed by the UK parliament.
The House of Commons is due to meet on Saturday – the date when under the terms of the Benn Act the prime minister will be obliged to seek another Brexit delay from the EU if a new deal has not been approved by parliament. Johnson had previously said he wants to reach a Brexit deal at an EU summit on Thursday and Friday to allow for an orderly departure on October 31. The main problem remains the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland and how to prevent it becoming a backdoor into the EU after Brexit.
A border on the island could undermine the 1998 peace agreement that helped end three decades of sectarian violence. But as Johnson attempts to work out a revised deal with EU negotiators, the Northern Irish party propping up his government back home have said they believe “further work” is needed for a deal. It specifically noted “gaps” over what the party would agree to.