German Chancellor Merkel has reportedly warned UK PM Boris Johnson that unless he is willing to accept Northern Ireland staying in the Customs Union, then the chances of a Brexit deal being agreed are “overwhelmingly unlikely.”
Boris Johnson and Angela Merkel discussed the intractable issue in a call on Tuesday morning with the UK PM stressing that if this is the EU’s new established position on Brexit, then a deal is “essentially impossible not just now but ever,” according to a Number 10 source.
No10 statement in full suggesting talking over (for now) in brexit negotiations pic.twitter.com/CfKZY0zDsD
In a combative ‘unofficial’ Downing Street statement sent to UK media, it was revealed that Johnson told Merkel that Brexit negotiations in Brussels were “close to breaking down.” Despite ostensibly rejecting the demands laid out by the German chancellor, the UK government sees it as a “very useful clarifying moment.”
The issue of Northern Ireland remaining or leaving the EU’s customs union remains a huge stumbling block, with No. 10 suggesting that Brussels is “willing to torpedo the Good Friday Agreement.”
Merkel said that if Germany wanted to leave the EU they could do it, no problem, but the UK cannot leave without leaving Northern Ireland behind in a customs union and in full alignment forever.
Last week, the UK government unveiled its plans for a renegotiated Brexit deal, with Johnson insisting that they represented a “very reasonable offer.” Under the new proposals it would see the Irish backstop replaced with electronic and a “number of physical” customs checks on the island of Ireland.
Brussels gave a damning response to the plans, claiming they could not even serve as a rough outline for a final agreement. Johnson has been rushing to strike a deal ahead of the October 31 deadline for leaving the bloc.
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