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No-deal Brexit “more likely than ever before" - Donald Tusk

Updated 19:10 The President of the European Commission has warned that a no deal Brexit is &ldquo...
Newstalk
Newstalk

16.04 15 Oct 2018


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No-deal Brexit “more likely th...

No-deal Brexit “more likely than ever before" - Donald Tusk

Newstalk
Newstalk

16.04 15 Oct 2018


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Updated 19:10

The President of the European Commission has warned that a no deal Brexit is “more likely than ever before.”

In a letter to members of the European Council, Donald Tusk said talks have been “more complicated than some may have expected” in the weeks since the informal meeting of leaders in Salzburg last month.

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“We should nevertheless remain hopeful and determined, as there is good will to continue these talks on both sides,” he said.

“But at the same time, responsible as we are, we must prepare the EU for a no-deal scenario, which is more likely than ever before.”

He said EC officials would provide an update on preparations for a ‘no-deal’ exit at Wednesday’s Summit of EU leaders in Brussels. 

“But let me be absolutely clear,” he said. “The fact that we are preparing for a no-deal scenario must not, under any circumstances, lead us away from making every effort to reach the best agreement possible, for all sides.”

“This is what our state of mind should be at this stage.

“As someone rightly said: 'It always seems impossible until it's done.'

“Let us not give up.”

Theresa May. Picture by: NurPhoto/SIPA USA/PA Images

He was speaking after the UK Prime Minister Theresa May gave a speech in the House of Commons insisting that a deal is still achievable.

Talks appeared to stall on Sunday amid continuing disagreements over the Irish border.

The UK has committed to including a so-called ‘backstop’ within the legal text of the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement preventing a return to a hard border in Ireland – regardless of the outcome of the Brexit negotiations.

However, stark differences remain as to how this should be achieved.

Speaking in the House of Commons today, a day after her Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab was summoned to Brussels for urgent talks, the British Prime Minister insisted the 'shape of a deal' is in place for most key issues.

She said while progress has been achieved over the Irish border, key differences remain.

Mrs May told MPs that the EU had 'responded positively' by agreeing to discuss the prospect of a temporary UK-wide customs solution as a backstop.

However, she suggested: "The EU says there is not time to work out the details of this UK-wide solution in the next few weeks.

"Even with the progress we have made, the EU still requires a backstop to the backstop - effectively an insurance policy to the insurance policy - and they want this to be the Northern Ireland only solution they had previously proposed."

She insisted that the UK is not 'going to be trapped permanently in a single customs territory', and that they will not accept a deal where Northern Ireland is treated as a separate customs territory to the rest of the UK.

She said: "It is frustrating that almost all of the remaining points of disagreement are focused on how we manage a scenario that both sides hope should never come to pass, and if it does would only be temporary.

"We cannot let this disagreement derail the prospects of a good deal, and leave us with a no-deal outcome that nobody wants."

"Race to the bottom"

In his response, the Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn called for Britain and the EU to negotiate a new customs to negotiate a new permanent customs union in an effort to “avoid a race to the bottom.”

“The choice for this Parliament should never be [Theresa May’s] deal or no deal,” he said.

“If this Government cannot get a good deal for this country, then it has to make way for those who can.

“The Prime Minister faces a simple and inescapable choice – be buffeted this way and that way by the chaos of her own party or back a deal that can win the support of Parliament and the people of this country.”

The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar speaks to the media in Dublin, 15-10-2018. Image: Leah Farrell/RollingNews

'Dynamic situation'

Earlier, Leo Varadkar said that a deal may not be done until December, noting that the border remains the key sticking point in the talks.

He said the EU remains flexible on a number of points – but only if the UK stays true to its word on the Irish backstop.

He observed: "I know some people were optimistic about an agreement on the withdrawal agreement and protocol this week - I have to say I always thought that was unlikely. I figure November / December is probably the best opportunity for a deal.

"It is a dynamic situation. We're always open to compromise... but there are some fundamentals we can't compromise on."

“That really is the need for the UK to honour its commitments made back last December – which is that we will have a Withdrawal Agreement and as part of that Withdrawal Agreement there must be a legally operable and a legally binding assurance that no matter what happens, that no hard border will emerge on the island of Ireland.”

He stressed that he didn't want to give the "wrong impression" that the deadline is now December - but said it could happen if no agreement is reached before next month's summit.

Mr Varadkar is due to meet with DUP leader Arlene Foster in Dublin this evening.

Following a meeting with the Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin this afternoon, Ms Foster again insisted that he party will stand against any Brexit deal that includes new checks between the North and Britain.

The DUP is propping up Mrs May’s minority Government under a confidence and supply arrangement – and has pledged to pull the plug if it does not get what it wants.

Mrs May said she remains clear about what she is demanding of Theresa May in the talks.

“We want to see a Brexit that works for the whole of the UK and one that works in a way that does not create any barriers between Northern Ireland and Great Britain,” she said.

“That is what we want to see happening.

“Unionism is united on that issue so for me that is the red line and that is what we are here to talk about today.

Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald speaks to the media at College Green in Westminster, 15-10-2018. Image: John Stillwell/PA Wire/PA Images

"Obligations, commitments, and agreements"

Meanwhile, the Sinn Féin leader urged the UK Prime Minister to “face down the DUP” and listen to the wishes of the “majority of the people in the North” on Brexit.

Mary Lou McDonald was in London today for a meeting with Theresa May ahead of the crunch EU Summit. 

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Deputy McDonald noted that the DUP does not “represent the majority of people in the North who oppose Brexit nor do they reflect our economic interests.”

“For the DUP, it is simply a hard Brexit and hard border at any cost,” she said.

Warning that the impact of Mrs May’s decision in the coming months will “shape politics for generations,” she called on the UK Prime Minister to stand behind her commitment to a backstop solution that protects “the unique circumstances of the North of Ireland.”

“It is time for the British Prime Minister to place the long-term interest of Ireland and Britain above a short-term deal with the DUP,” she said.

“It is time for the Theresa May to live up to her obligations, commitments, and agreements.

“It is time for Theresa May demonstrate leadership and to face down the wreckers in the DUP.”


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