Boris Johnson and his Cabinet meet today to discuss the hostile reaction from Dublin and Brussels to his new Brexit blueprint which includes scrapping the Irish backstop.
Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and the top officials from the EU’s Commission and Parliament have all rejected the Prime Minister’s proposals, which he claims are a final offer.
Johnson is also facing pressure from opposition parties at Westminster to make a Commons statement on his proposals, instead of sending Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay to face MPs, as planned.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn claimed Johnson’s proposals were worse than those of Theresa May and former Tory deputy Premier Lord Heseltine claimed “millions of Tories” were voting Lib Dem because of Brexit.
In a phone call with Johnson, Varadkar told the prime minister his proposals “do not fully meet the agreed objectives” of the Northern Ireland backstop.
And in Brussels, after a meeting of senior EU officials and MEPs, Guy Verhofstadt, who chairs the European Parliament’s Brexit steering group, said they were “absolutely not positive” about Mr Johnson’s plan.
“It doesn’t provide the necessary safeguards for Ireland,” he said.
Current EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said about the proposals in a statement “However, the president also noted that there are still some problematic points that will need further work in the coming days, notably with regards to the governance of the backstop,” a statement said.
“The delicate balance struck by the Good Friday agreement must be preserved.”
Via Sky News
