"Not optimistic": EU chief negotiator Barnier expects hard Brexit

United Kingdom and Gibraltar European Union membership referendum

all articles

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to push the Brexit ruthlessly. In order for the country to leave the EU by all means on October 31, he even wants to put Parliament off course for a while. The EU's Brexit representative Michel Barnier, meanwhile, sees little hope for a friendly solution with London.

"I am not optimistic about the question of whether a no-deal scenario can be avoided," Barnier wrote in a guest article for the British "Sunday Telegraph". "We will only work on alternative agreements if the current agreement is ratified."

The so-called backstop must exist to ensure the integrity of the EU market, Barnier wrote. This is the "maximum flexibility that the EU can offer to a non-Member State," he wrote. Although he doubted that a no-deal Brexit could be prevented, he was determined to consider all the ideas "that Britain's government would present to the EU" and that were "compatible" with the existing exit agreement.

After Brexit, London and Brussels have planned a transition phase - initially, by the end of 2020, much will remain as it was. For the time being, the UK will continue to be part of the EU customs union and the European single market. During this time, a free trade agreement with common rules and standards will be developed. If this fails, the emergency mechanism will grab Backstop, which permanently excludes a hard border on the Irish island.

Corbyn: "Our last chance"

Since this could not be terminated unilaterally, Tory politician Johnson fears to continue to be dependent on the EU. In addition, Britain could be slowed down in efforts to conclude new trade agreements with third countries. Above all, Britain has not yet ratified the Brexit agreement with the EU, which was negotiated by its predecessor Theresa May.

Read more about the sticking point of the Brexit deal here : This is the backstop

Probably to evade the political opponents of this exit course before the Brexit influence, Johnson is considering suspending the parliament for several weeks. The more than 600 MPs will have a good four-week compulsory break before he presents his government program on October 14, two and a half weeks before the planned Brexit date. Tens of thousands demonstrated in numerous British cities over the weekend. Many spoke of an attack on democracy.

Encouraged by the mass protests, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn has also called for members of all parties to resist in parliament. If the lower house comes from the summer break, everyone should stand together to prevent Britain from leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement, said Corbyn in Glasgow, Scotland. "It's our last chance," he told the Guardian. He is relying on dissenters from Johnson's ruling party. If the prime minister resigns without agreement, serious turbulence is expected for the economy.

Alena Ivanova from the initiators of the anti-Brexit group "Another Europe Is Possible" meanwhile announced further protests: "This was the beginning of a huge movement". At demonstrations in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, protesters called out "Boris, out" and "Shame on you, Boris". At Oxford, students demonstrated at Balliol College, where Johnson once studied. They criticized his actions as undemocratic. Domestic Spokeswoman for the Labor Party, Diane Abbott, said: "We can not allow Boris Johnson to suppress the parliament and the people's voice."