Johnson strikes softer tone as European leaders 'unconvinced' by his Brexit proposal
EU's Donald Tusk, Ireland's Leo Varadkar skeptical of U.K. prime minister's proposals
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is seeking to build a coalition at home to back his new Brexit approach, even as key European leaders say the measures he just proposed fall far short of the concessions needed to forge a deal.
Johnson offered a strikingly more conciliatory tone Thursday than in his previous tempestuous appearances in the House of Commons, arguing that the changes his government just offered on regulating trade between Ireland and Northern Ireland after Brexit represented a significant compromise.
He said he is focused on maintaining an open border between the U.K.'s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland — the key sticking point to a Brexit deal. The U.K. proposes to do that by keeping Northern Ireland closely aligned to EU rules for trade in goods, possibly for an extended period.
Johnson thinks the concessions should resolve the concerns that prompted British lawmakers to reject the previous Brexit deal three times.
However, Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn said no Labour Party legislator can back the new Brexit proposal. Corbyn said in Parliament that the new plan is just a "rehashed version" of previously rejected ones.
He said the prime minister is not acting in good faith and knows the proposal will be rejected, adding the new proposal would gut European Union worker protections and environmental protections and set off a "race to the bottom."
Johnson would likely need some Labour Party backing to win passage of any new Brexit deal, as his government doesn't have a working majority in Parliament.
'U.K.'s proposals fall short'
European Union Leader Donald Tusk said he was "still unconvinced" about the British proposals to unblock the stalled Brexit negotiations.
Tusk had telephone talks with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and joined him in his skepticism about Johnson's proposals. Tusk said his message to Varadkar was that the EU stands "fully behind Ireland." In sharp contrast, he coined his message to Johnson as "we remain open, but still unconvinced."
Today I had two phone calls on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Brexit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Brexit</a>, first with Dublin then with London.<br>My message to Taoiseach <a href="https://twitter.com/LeoVaradkar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LeoVaradkar</a>: We stand fully behind Ireland.<br>My message to PM <a href="https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BorisJohnson</a>: We remain open but still unconvinced.
—@eucopresidentFor his part, Varadkar said Ireland "may have to live with a no-deal [Brexit] for a period of time" if no compromise is found. He said he wouldn't predict any outcome of the Brexit talks but would prefer to "see a deal where the U.K. leaves in an orderly fashion."
The European Parliament's supervisory Brexit group issued a damning verdict on Johnson's proposals and said they "do not match even remotely" what is needed for a compromise.
After being briefed by EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, who was given the proposals on Wednesday, the Brexit Steering Group said the proposals were a step back instead of forward toward an overall deal as the Oct. 31 deadline looms ever larger.
The statement from the group said that "the U.K.'s proposals fall short and represent a significant movement away from joint commitments and objectives."
The statement carries weight since the steering group unites experts from all major groups in the European Parliament and the legislature has to approve any Brexit deal before it can become official.