Boris Johnson presents five-point Brexit plan to EU
5811 Min Read
Boris Johnson has laid out a five-point Brexit offer that would take Britain, including Northern Ireland, out of the customs union, and warned the EU27 there is “very little time” to do a deal.
In a letter to the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, the prime minister said: “This government wants to get a deal, as I’m sure we all do. If we cannot reach one, it would represent a failure of statecraft for which we would all be responsible.”
The plan would see Northern Ireland essentially stay in the European single market for goods, but leave the customs union.
The Northern Ireland Assembly would have to approve the arrangements first and be able to vote every four years on whether to keep them.
Speaking at the Conservative Party conference, Mr Johnson said the only alternative to his plan was no-deal.
The government’s five points include:
• Respecting the Belfast/Good Friday agreement. • A commitment to longstanding areas of UK-Ireland collaboration. • Creating an all-island regulatory zone on the island of Ireland,
covering all goods including agri-food. • Giving the Northern Ireland executive and assembly the opportunity to endorse the new regulatory arrangements before they enter into force. • Northern Ireland will be fully part of the UK customs territory, not
the EU customs union, after the end of the transition period.
The European Commission says it will “examine [the proposals] objectively”.
