Johnson voices optimism on Brexit talks, but doubts cast on EU side

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was hopeful that progress could be made in Brexit talks on Monday with the European Union, even as outgoing European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned that time is running out.

Johnson had said that he would make clear he would reject any offer to delay Brexit beyond Oct 31. It is the first meeting between the pair since Johnson took office in July.

The two leaders were joined at lunch by the European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier. Johnson was scheduled to be accompanied by his new Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay and Downing Street's Brexit representative David Frost.

Juncker, who will finish his term as commission president on Oct 31, was expected to ask Johnson to spell out his ideas for replacing the Irish backstop negotiated by his predecessor.

The backstop is the controversial policy in the existing withdrawal agreement - already rejected three times by members of Parliament - which would require the United Kingdom to follow the EU's customs rules to ensure no physical checks on the border between Northern Ireland and EU member Republic of Ireland.

Johnson had said there were "real signs of movement" in Berlin, Paris and Dublin on getting rid of the backstop, the persistent stumbling block to a Brexit agreement. "A huge amount of progress is being made," he told The Daily Mail newspaper.

But The Guardian newspaper quoted EU officials involved in talks with Johnson's envoy, Frost, as saying that this upbeat account was not an accurate assessment of the situation.

"No, in fact people are a bit dismayed," said one EU source, describing the mood. "I am not even going to call them negotiations - the last session on Friday did start touching on content - that's actually quite a step forward, ... but we still should have been there a long time ago and (an end result) is still quite far away."

Reports have suggested Johnson is considering a plan to keep Northern Ireland more closely aligned to the EU after Brexit, as an alternative to the current backstop.

A Downing Street source told the BBC that Johnson would make clear to Juncker that "he would not countenance any more delays" beyond Oct 31.

"The PM will stress to Juncker that, while he wants to secure a deal, if no deal can be agreed by Oct 18, his policy is to leave without a deal on Oct 31 - and reject any delay offered by the EU."

The BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the issue of whether the United Kingdom has the legal right to leave the EU on Oct 31, come what may, could end up in court.

Meanwhile, at their annual conference on Sunday, Britain's Liberal Democrats overwhelmingly approved the party's plan of going into any election with the promise to revoke Brexit without a referendum.

The Liberal Democrats still support a second Brexit referendum with an option to vote to remain.

They have said that they would promise to revoke Article 50 - the process of leaving the EU - if they win an absolute majority in a general election.

jonathan@mail.chinadailyuk.com

(China Daily 09/17/2019 page11)