EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier raised hopes a
Brexit deal was possible after he welcomed a “constructive” meeting with Steve Barclay.
The Brexit secretary held two-hour talks with Barnier in
Brussels on Friday as a compromise between the
UK and the EU 27 looked ever more likely.
It comes after
Boris Johnson met with
Irish premier Leo Varadkar on Thursday and the two leaders issued a joint statement heralding a “path to a possible deal”.
Barnier sounded a note of caution also, however, noting the “big mountain” officials had yet to climb.
After leaving the Brussels meeting, Barnier told reporters: “We had a constructive meeting with Steve Barclay and the
British team, and now I’m going to debrief the 27 ambassadors and the Brexit steering group of the parliament.
“I’ve already said that Brexit is like climbing a mountain: we need vigilance, determination and patience.”
The news suggests
Britain and the EU could be set to enter the so-called “tunnel” when official negotiations would open.
The statement followed comments from EU Council President Donald Tusk who said he had seen “promising signals” from Varadkar over a fresh agreement after the Northern Irish border had remained the sticking point.The UK has still not come forward with a workable, realistic proposal. But I have received promising signals from Taoiseach @LeoVaradkar that a deal is possible. Even the slightest chance must be used. A no deal #Brexit will never be the choice of the EU.— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) October 11, 2019Tusk tweeted: “The UK has still not come forward with a workable, realistic proposal. But I have received promising signals from Taoiseach @LeoVaradkar that a deal is possible. Even the slightest chance must be used. A no deal #Brexit will never be the choice of the EU.”
Any deal struck between the UK government and Brussels would still need the approval of MPs in the Commons.
The DUP has yet to make a statement about talks between Varadkar and Johnson, but it is understood that the PM briefed leader Arlene Foster before the meeting took place.
If the Northern Irish party back concessions, however, Brexiteer Tory backbenchers from the European Research Group would get behind it, MP Nigel Evans said on Friday.
“I think it is very difficult to get it through without the DUP, but we have seen a shift from the DUP already,” Evans told the
BBC in an interview.
“And if the DUP are in favour of it, it’d be very difficult for the ERG to go against.” Related... Tory Nigel Evans Says ERG Will Back Brexit Concessions – If The DUP Will Has Johnson Discovered The Art Of The Possible On Brexit? Boris Johnson And Leo Varadkar 'See A Pathway To A Possible Deal' On Brexit