EU Ready to Talk???
This article in today’s Daily Express By LUKE HAWKER.
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EU No Deal Fear: European Officials in secret Boris talks - “Re-thinking their position”
Brussels is ready to crumble amid the prospect of a no-deal Brexit after senior European officials have engaged in secret talks with leading figures in Boris Johnson’s team in order to strike a new deal.
The Tory leadership frontrunner is widely expected to defeat Jeremy Hunt in the contest and become Prime Minister - when the result of the 160,000 Conservative party membership is announced on Tuesday. Brexiteers within Mr Johnson’s camp including Geoffrey Cox, James Brokenshire and Andrea Leadsom have all met with senior officials from the bloc’s major players. The Sunday Times reports. Ireland, France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands have all signalled their intention to do a deal and break the Brexit impasse before the looming October 31 deadline. Dublin has so far refused to move on its ‘red-lines’, but a source close to Mr. Johnson’s team said Ireland is ‘re-thinking their position’.
Simon Coveney, Ireland’s deputy Prime Minister has insisted Theresa May’s failed withdrawal agreement is ‘not up for negotiation’.
However, Mr. Coveney has shown signs of caving in after warning of the economic dangers of Britain leaving the bloc without an agreement.
He said: “If Britain decides to leave without a deal it would cause huge damage to us all.
A no-deal Brexit will devastate the Northern Irish economy”
Mr. Johnsons’s inner circle is also understood to be ramping up preparations to hold crunch talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor, Angela Merkel.
The showdown with the arch-europhiles in planned to take place at the Prime Minister’s Chequers country residence - a place which saw a Cabinet civil war in 2018 and prompted Mr. Johnson’s resignation as Foreign Secretary.
Meanwhile, several minister’s are set to leave their position on the frontbench in anticipation of Mr. Johnson winning - Justice Secretary David Gauke has already jumped the gun.
Mr. Gauke stated he would not be prepared ‘to sign up to’ a no-deal Brexit.
He said: “Given that I’ve been in the Cabinet since Theresa May came to power, I think the appropriate thing is for me to resign to her”.
He added: “If the test of loyalty to stay in the Cabinet is a commitment to support no-deal on October 31 - which, to be fair to him, Boris has consistently said - then that’s not something I’m prepared to sign up to”.
“I recognise that this spell in Government is coming to an end. Given that I’ve been in the Cabinet since Theresa May came to power. I think the appropriate thing is for me to do is to resign to her”.
However, in a boost to the next Prime Minister, influential minister, Amber Rudd, has called on Tory MP’s to ‘unite’ behind the next leader or risk a Labour Government. The Work and Pensions Secretary, told the Sunday Telegraph “Just as the Conservative Party came together after that EU referendum, it must now come together again no matter who wins”
“I know many of my colleagues have strong feelings but a new prime minister will get a new hearing in the European Union and I hope and I hope everyone can unite behind that. If we don’t, the alternative could be Corbyn by Christmas”.
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Well, there’s a turn up for the books. Fingers crossed a deal can be done at Chequers after meeting Macron and Merkel. Interesting times ahead.