The Brexit deal explained as EU president Juncker says he ‘rules out’ further Brexit delay

We have a deal, and there is no need for prolongation

The president of the European Commission has insisted there can be no further delay to Brexit now that a new deal has be struck by the UK.

Jean-Claude Juncker said there would not be “any kind of prolongation” to Brexit and that “it has to be done now”.

“We have concluded a deal and so there is not an argument for further delay. It has to be done now,” Mr Juncker told reporters on the doorstep of the European Council summit in Brussels.

“We have a deal. The British prime minister has to make sure that the deal will pass the hurdles of Westminster. I have to make sure it will pass the hurdles of the European Parliament, that’s all.”

He continued: “I gave a brief doorstep with Boris Johnson at the Berlaymont half an hour ago and I was ruling out that there will be any kind of prolongation. If we have a deal, we have a deal, and there is no need for prolongation. That’s the British view, that’s my view too.”

The Commission president’s claim that no extension is on the cards puts pressure on MPs to vote for a deal.

Asked whether he thought the agreement would pass the House of Commons, Mr Juncker replied: “I’m not in charge of parliamentary affairs of Britain. I’m satisfied that we were able to find a deal but I’m sad about the fact that Britain is leaving the European Union.”

This Brexit deal has been agreed by negotiating teams from the EU and the UK, marking the first step toward ratifying an accord.

Speaking from Brussels on Thursday, the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier laid out some of the stipulations of the new deal, including the most contentious issue of the discussions — the Irish backstop.

The new deal offers a “legally operative solution to avoid a hard border” on the island of Ireland, he said, adding: “It is a solution that works for the EU, for the UK and for people and businesses in Northern Ireland.”

Customs arrangements

On customs, both sides agreed to a remarkable balancing act: Northern Ireland will officially be part of the U.K.’s customs territory, meaning that it applies U.K. tariffs and can participate in future British trade deals, but at the same time the EU-U.K. customs border is placed in the Irish Sea, meaning that de facto Northern Ireland follows the EU’s customs rules.

Both the EU and the U.K. have moved in order to come up with the compromise deal, but in truth it is London that has had to make the more radical concessions.

Under this fudge, U.K. customs authorities will check goods at British ports before they enter Northern Ireland. Those goods can pass without paying tariffs as long as their final destination is Northern Ireland and they are consequently “not at risk of entering our single market,” Barnier told reporters Thursday. “However for goods at risk of entering the single market, U.K. authorities will apply the EU’s tariffs,” he added.

The criteria for defining such a risk will be worked out during the transition period by a Joint Committee — the body set up under the Withdrawal Agreement to police the deal — taking into account specifics such as the value of the good or the nature of movement. The Joint Committee will also define exemptions, such as for fishing vessels from Northern Ireland that operate under a British flag and that won’t need to pay tariffs when selling catch into the EU.

The main advantage of this solution is that there are no checks at the land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Northern Irish companies and farmers will follow EU customs and regulatory rules, meaning that Northern Irish products from machinery to milk can go across the border without having to pass any controls.

But the Democratic Unionist Party and Labour Party are not on board.

The EU and U.K. reached a new Brexit deal that will let Britain depart on orderly terms, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday.

Word of an agreement came as EU leaders were en route to Brussels for a crucial European Council summit. Negotiators have worked intensively in recent days hoping to clinch a new divorce decree before Thursday’s summit, and it seems they have met that deadline just under the wire.

Once the text of the deal is agreed by EU27 leaders, it must then be ratified by both the U.K. and European parliaments. As Theresa May found with a previous deal, that is by no means a straightforward process, particularly since the ruling Conservative Party does not have a majority in the House of Commons.

Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, whose support is key if Johnson is to get his deal through the U.K. parliament, was quick to announce that it does not back the agreement, as was the Labour Party.

Time is now tight given Johnson’s self-imposed deadline to pull the U.K. out of the European Union by October 31.

This sell out deal won’t bring the country together and should be rejected
— Jeremy Corbyn, Labour Party leader

A big obstacle had been how to redraw the so-called backstop provision on how to manage the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, in the event that an envisioned Brexit transition period ends on December 31, 2020 without a free-trade agreement in place.

As a result, Northern Ireland will “remain aligned” with a limited set of rules related to the EU’s Single Market, which will help avoid the introduction of a hard border.

These rules apply, in particular, with “legislation on goods, sanitary rules for veterinary controls, rules on agricultural production/marketing, VAT and excise in respect of goods, and state aid rules,” according to a statement released by the EU.

Brexit: European Commission recommends the European Council (Article 50) to endorse the agreement reached on the revised Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland and revised Political Declaration

The rest of the UK will therefore be able to apply tariffs on goods incoming from third parties.

It also means that Northern Ireland will be given a “mechanism of ‘consent'” that gives Stormont the ability to decide whether to continue these EU rules four years after the deal is enforced.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted in succession to confirm the deal, with the former referring to a “fair and balanced agreement” and the latter saying it “takes back control”.

????? 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. I recommend that #EUCO endorses this deal. pic.twitter.com/7AfKyCZ6k9

— Jean-Claude Juncker (@JunckerEU) October 17, 2019

We’ve got a great new deal that takes back control — now Parliament should get Brexit done on Saturday so we can move on to other priorities like the cost of living, the NHS, violent crime and our environment #GetBrexitDone #TakeBackControl

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) October 17, 2019

In a further statement, Juncker said the agreement marked “a fair compromise” between the two sides and highlighted the protection of “peace and stability” on the island of Ireland.

He added: “I hope that we can now bring this over the line and provide the certainty our citizens and businesses so deserve.”

Ireland’s Foreign Minsiter Simon Coveney also welcomed the deal as a “big step forward”.

He said: “It’s a deal that recognises all of the issues that we have been raising for the last three years.

“It is a deal that will protect people on this island, it will protect peace on this island, it will protect trade on this island.”

Battleground moves back to UK

Despite an agreement made with the EU, Johnson now faces resistance back home in passing it through the UK’s parliament.

The Northern Irish unionist party propping up his minority government has said that it is “unable to support” the new deal as it “drives a coach and horses through the professed sanctity of the Belfast Agreement.”

It added: “These proposals are not, in our view, beneficial to the economic well-being of Northern Ireland and they undermine the integrity of the Union.”

Jeremy Corbyn — Johnson’s main opposition — said his party “cannot support this deal” and pointed toward uncertain support from the rest of parliament.

“As it stands, we cannot support this deal … also it is unclear whether it has the support of his allies in the DUP, or indeed, many allies on his own backbenches,” he said.

Also with the rejections were the the Scottish National Party (SNP), which said the new deal proposed a “much looser” relationship with the EU.

In a brief statement, party leader Nicola Sturgeon said: “The Brexit envisaged by Boris Johnson is one which sees a much looser relationship with the EU when it comes to issues like food standards, environmental protections and workers’ rights.

“Scotland did not vote for Brexit in any form, and SNP MPs will not vote for Brexit in any form.”

Meanwhile, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said he would rather see a further delay and a general election than see Johnson deal passed through parliament.

Labours on the wrong road.

Labour must be very cautious in its approach and any out of hand rejection of this deal. It will be seen as denying democracy and failing to keep its manifesto promise. Labelled a deal blocker, with more than 50% of the nation now wanting to leave the EU. Labour could find themselves very wrong footed by taking the advice of the remain MPs representing the minority Labour remain constituencies of the metropolitan cities and London capital.

More than 50 percent of British people are in favour of honouring the result of the 2016 referendum and leaving the EU, irrespective of whether they voted Leave or Remain, according to a new survey.

The survey — carried out for Channel 5 and ITN, which described it as the “biggest” poll on Brexit since the referendum — also shows that a majority of respondents think a no-deal Brexit would be bad for the country.

The question posed by polling company was: “Regardless of the way you voted in the 2016 referendum, do you support or oppose the UK abiding by the referendum result and leaving the EU?”

The data comes as Brexit talks enter a crucial phase ahead of this week’s European Council summit.

According to the polling, 54 percent of the British public support the U.K. abiding by the referendum result and leaving the EU, with 32 percent against leaving and 14 percent who didn’t know.

Asked if they support Boris Johnson’s pledge that the U.K. should leave on October 31, with or without a deal, 43 percent said they did support it, 44 percent oppose that stance and 13 percent didn’t know.

Geographically, the motion was supported in every English region except for London.

There are also splits in public opinion across the country, with London, Scotland and Northern Ireland being the most strongly opposed to leaving the EU, most strongly in favour of a second referendum and also those who most strongly believe a no-deal Brexit is bad.

Westminster voting intentions show Labour trailing dramatically. it does not take much of a polling analyst to know exactly why and no matter how much the Remain/Blairite MPs would like you to think it as nothing to do with Jeremy Corbyn.

The overwhelming vote across Towns, villages and provisional regions of the UK more so England, Labours last stronghold, was to leave the EU. Labour MPs from the remain voting capital have tied to push the Labour Party further and further away from its original position of respecting the referendum result and delivering a Brexit deal to one of a minimal second referendum but ultimately no Brexit.

Both of which will not only lose Labour supporters but more than likely result in three major critical events happening to the Labour Party.

1. Labour experiences an exodus of support from its overwhelmingly leave constituencies in the Labour Heartlands (virtually all CLP’s outside the metropolitan cities) in the same fashion it experienced the exodus of Labour support after the Scottish independence referendum.
2. The Labour Party endures its third defeat opposing a Tory Party that is not only responsible for the deaths of thousands and the impoverishment of millions but the very party that created this Brexit crisis in the first place.
3. But ultimately and the one thing for a socialist remain or leave that makes all the difference is the people running the remain campaign get what they want and we on the Left lose Jeremy Corbyn.

There is no compromising for the remainers within the Labour Party and losing Jeremy Corbyn is a sacrifice they are more than willing to make.

Some in the Labour Party are hell bent on removing Jeremy Corbyn and remain is the vehicle they will use to do it.

It seems so unreasonable that the remain camp within the Labour Party who not only promised to respect the result of the referendum quote: ‘No matter the lies’ they also jointly agreed as the Labour Party in accepting the result of the referendum conveyed in a speech by the  arch remainer Keir Starmer that stated 

“We lost the referendum. Yes, the result was close. Yes, there were lies and half-truths—none worse than the false promise of an extra £350m a week for the NHS.

Yes, technically the referendum is not legally binding. But the result was not technical; it was deeply political, and politically the notion that the referendum was merely a consultation exercise to inform Parliament holds no water.

When I was imploring people up and down the country to vote in the referendum and to vote to remain, I told them that their vote really mattered and that a decision was going to be made. I was not inviting them to express a view.

Although we are fiercely internationalist and fiercely pro-European, we in the Labour party are, above all, democrats.

Had the outcome been to remain, we would have expected the result to be honoured, and that cuts both ways.

A decision was made on 23 June last year to leave the EU. Two thirds of Labour MPs represent constituencies that voted to leave; one third represent constituencies that voted to remain.

This is obviously a difficult decision.

I wish the result had gone the other way—I campaigned passionately for that—but as democrats we in the Labour party have to accept the result. It follows that the prime minister should not be blocked from starting the article 50 negotiations.”

These statements give no room or excuse to renege on the promise of the manifesto they stood on when elected in 2017

Yet here we are these same uncompromising remainers within the PLP not only pushing for a second referendum but one before a General election more so, one where the Labour Party unequivocally supports remain.

The combination of having a second referendum while backing remain and before any general election will have a number of results. The referendum will be lost, the Tory party will continue to govern and the Labour Party will lose Jeremy Corbyn.

This will be the decisive defeat the Blairites have been hoping for since 2016. Jeremy Corbyn as defied the odds continually doing better than anyone predicted or in the case of some hoped for. 

We at Labour Heartlands are emphatically opposed to a second referendum in any form, not only is it a vote loser it is undemocratic and makes the Labour Party’s former promise to respect the referendum result a lie. We all know what happens to political parties that out and out lie while retracting manifesto pledges. I am sure Facebook does not have a position for a former socialist leader.