A Brexit deal is within Boris’ reach
Over coffee and croissants this morning, EU member states’ ambassadors in Brussels will be briefed on the current state of the Brexit negotiations.
Late last night, it seemed the UK and EU were inches away from agreeing the principles of a new deal.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Angela Merkel, EU Council president Donald Tusk and even the dour Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, were making positive noises.
On the other side of the channel, arch-Brexiters like Steve Baker and Iain Duncan-Smith were signalling their willingness to back a new deal agreed between Boris Johnson and the EU.
It is, as it has been before, now largely a matter of whether the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland will agree to the new proposals.
The plan will likely involve dual customs arrangements for Northern Ireland, meaning a customs border in the Irish Sea.
Those checks would take place at ports on the west coast of the UK, rather than along or near the border with the Republic of Ireland.
It would involve a complex system of tariff reimbursements and red tape but should, in theory, dispense with the backstop and keep Northern Ireland in the UK’s customs union.
This issue will be picked up and pored over today, but the EU seems unwilling to sign it off unless it’s confident that MPs in Westminster will vote for it.
They’re right to be concerned, not just because of the DUP but because the determination of anti-Brexit MPs to delay the withdrawal date or secure a second referendum cannot be underestimated.
But before we get to another round of parliamentary shenanigans, it is worth considering just how far Johnson has come. Since the summer, the cast-iron position of EU leaders and officials has been that the withdrawal agreement negotiated by
Theresa May could not and would not be reopened. Well, as of last night, its stands open. Johnson’s critics, in parliament and the press, have been adamant that he doesn’t want a deal and that his efforts to get one were a sham.
Well, as of last night, he appears to be stretching every sinew to secure one. Of course, even if he succeeds in bringing back a new kind of Brexit, it’s not certain that enough MPs will vote for it.
But if the last 48 hours have taught us anything, it’s that anything is possible.
Main image: Getty