The last few hours have seen intensive work go into a UK withdrawal agreement, with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and British PM discussing the ins and outs on the phone. The agreement came just in time ahead of the EU summit commencing in Brussels.
Mr Juncker, said Thursday that Brussels had come to an agreement with Britain on a Brexit withdrawal agreement to be presented to EU leaders. The deal was presented later on Thursday, and received the approval of the 27 EU member states.
“Where there is a will, there is a deal -- we have one! It’s a fair and balanced agreement for the EU and the UK and it is testament to our commitment to find solutions,” Juncker tweeted.
“I recommend that EUCO endorses this deal,” he said, referring to the European Council of the leaders of member states that was to meet later Thursday.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday announced what he said was a “great new deal” for Britain to leave the European Union, as leaders gathered in Brussels for talks.
“We’ve got a great new deal that takes back control,” he wrote on Twitter, calling on lawmakers in London to approve the agreement at a rare sitting of parliament on Saturday.
The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier on Thursday hailed the last-minute Brexit deal struck with Britain ahead of a crunch summit as a reasonable compromise that protects European interests. “We have reached an agreement that is fair and reasonable and corresponds to our principles,” Barnier told reporters, but urged caution as the deal must still pass through the British parliament -- which has rejected a Brexit deal three times before.
European Council president Donald Tusk believed that a deal could be accepted on Thursday, but the 27 member states must pass the agreement. However, it appears that the official exit date for the UK will be delayed from 31 October to allow parties to formulate and ratify the agreement.
The deal does remain threatened on the British side, as Johnson’s key allies, the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland, have rejected the proposed agreement and he could face a similar fate to Theresa May in the House of Commons rejecting the agreement on multiple occasion.
Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party on Thursday said it remained opposed to the deal for Britain to leave the European Union, as an agreement was announced.
A DUP source told AFP the party’s earlier statement that it could not support customs and consent issues, as well as sales tax arrangements, “remains our position”.
Anti-EU populist Nigel Farage on Thursday rejected Britain’s new deal to leave the European Union, after weeks of talks to amend a previous agreement that was rejected by lawmakers.
“The commitment to regulatory alignment (of British-run Northern Ireland to EU rules) means that the ‘new deal’ is not Brexit, despite improvements on the customs union,” he tweeted, before adding on the BBC: “I frankly think it should be rejected.”
Brexit deal might not win parliamentary approval, having earlier spiked close to $1.30 on news of the agreement.
At about 1225 GMT, the pound was down 0.28 percent against the dollar at $1.2795. The euro meanwhile rose 0.65 percent to 86.85 pence.
“After the initial relief that the UK government and EU have done a deal, markets are worried that it still does not have enough support to get through parliament on Saturday,” independent economist Julian Jessop told AFP.
Brexit deal struck Thursday between London and Brussels, calling it a “big step forward” that “protects the core Irish interests”.
While cautioning that the deal had to be ratified by the British and European parliaments, the deputy prime minister told the Dail lower house of parliament that the agreement was a “very significant achievement... that is worth supporting”.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the Brexit agreement struck between the EU and London, and suggested it could be approved by sceptical British lawmakers.
At a meeting of centrist leaders ahead of an EU summit in Brussels, Macron said he was “reasonably confident it can be ratified by a vote of the British parliament”.
Following Thursday’s announcement of a deal, all eyes will be on London to see whether Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has vowed to take Britain out of the EU by the end of the month, has enough support to push through the agreement in parliament.
