Ireland yesterday told British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that he must make specific proposals on the future of the Irish border if there is to be any hope of averting a no-deal Brexit, saying Dublin cannot not rely on simple promises.
The blunt remarks by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar indicate the difficulty of Johnson’s gamble of using the threat of a no-deal exit to convince Germany and France that they must rewrite an exit agreement struck in November last year.
With Brexit mired in crisis, Johnson yesterday was also due to seek a general election that the British Parliament has so far refused to grant him.
Instead, lawmakers want to force Johnson to seek a delay to the Oct. 31 exit date: A bill that aims to rule out a no-deal Brexit was due to become law yesterday.
Johnson promised when he took office in July that he would finally achieve the Brexit that Britain voted for in a 2016 referendum, taking the country out of the bloc by Oct. 31 with or without a withdrawal agreement to smooth the transition.
On arrival in Dublin for talks, Johnson said he did not want a no-deal exit: He said he wanted a deal at the Oct. 17 and 18 EU summit, and had border ideas to present to Dublin, but that the UK would leave the bloc by Oct. 31.
“In the absence of agreed alternative arrangements, no backstop is no deal for us,” Varadkar, standing beside Johnson outside the Irish government, told reporters.
“We are open to alternatives, but they must realistic ones, legally binding and workable, and we haven’t received such proposals to date,” Varadkar said.
“What we cannot do and will not do, and I know you understand this, is agree to the replacement of a legal guarantee with a promise,” he said, adding there was no such thing as a clean break, as talks would stretch on for years.
The 500km land border between Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland has always been the biggest stumbling block for an orderly Brexit.
The Withdrawal Agreement that former British prime minister Theresa May struck in November with the EU includes an “Irish backstop” and says the UK would remain in a customs union “unless and until” alternative arrangements are found to avoid a hard border.
However, the agreement was rejected three times by parliament, as many British lawmakers oppose the prospect of being bound to EU rules and customs duties that would prevent the UK doing its own trade deals and leave it overseen by EU judges.
Varadkar warned that even if a deal was struck, agreeing a future free-trade agreement would be a “Herculean” task for Johnson.
Although Ireland is only about an eighth of the size of the UK’s US$2.8 trillion economy, Dublin is backed by the rest of the EU whose economy — minus the UK — is worth US$15.9 trillion.
With no majority in parliament, which is determined to prevent what many businesses fear would be a calamitous no-deal Brexit, Johnson wants to hold an election to keep his promise of leaving by Oct. 31.
He was to put forward a motion in parliament yesterday to propose an election, but it would require the support of two-thirds of lawmakers.
Opposition parties had said they would not agree to an election until a no-deal exit is ruled out.
In London, Johnson’s spokesman, James Slack, confirmed that the government would suspend the British Parliament from last night until Oct. 14.
Additional reporting by AP
EVOLVING SITUATION: Of the latest cases, 23 percent were found to be asymptomatic, but the coronavirus strain in Da Nang is more contagious, authorities said A COVID-19 outbreak that began in the Vietnamese city of Da Nang more than a week ago has spread to at least four city factories with a combined workforce of about 3,700, state media reported yesterday. Four cases were found at the plants in different industrial parks in the central city that collectively employ 77,000 people, the Lao Dong newspaper said. Vietnam, praised widely for its decisive measures to combat the novel coronavirus since it first appeared in late January, is battling new clusters of infection having gone for more than three months without detecting any domestic transmissions. Authorities yesterday reported one new
WARNINGS OVER COMPLACENCY: The curves of new infections in numerous countries is climbing, while others see the the first new infections in months Spikes in COVID-19 infections in Asia have dispelled any notion that the region might be over the worst, with Australia and India yesterday reporting record daily infections, Vietnam fretting over a new surge and North Korea urging vigilance. Asian nations had largely prided themselves on rapidly containing initial outbreaks after the coronavirus emerged in central China late last year, but flare-ups this month have shown the danger of complacency. “We’ve got to be careful not to slip into some idea that there’s some golden immunity that Australia has in relation to this virus,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters. Australia recorded its
‘COVIDIOTS’: Politicians condemned the protest that came amid surging infections in the country, while a marcher said government-induced fear weakened the body Loudly chanting their opposition to masks and vaccines, thousands of people on Saturday gathered in Berlin to protest against COVID-19 restrictions before being dispersed by police. Police put turnout at about 20,000 — well below the 500,000 organizers had announced as they urged a “day of freedom” from months of virus curbs. Despite Germany’s comparatively low toll, authorities are concerned at a rise in infections over the past few weeks and politicians took to social media to criticize the rally as irresponsible. “We are the second wave,” shouted the crowd, a mixture of hard left and right and conspiracy theorists, as they converged
The Australian government yesterday said that it plans to give Google and Facebook three months to negotiate with media businesses fair pay for news content. In releasing a draft of a mandatory code of conduct, Canberra aims to succeed where other nations have failed in making tech firms pay for news siphoned from commercial media companies. Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said that Google and Facebook would be the first platforms targeted by the proposed legislation, but others could follow. “It’s about a fair go for Australian news media businesses, it’s about ensuring that we have increased competition, increased consumer protection and a sustainable
RSS