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Greg Evans
Dec 09, 2020
Boris Johnson is facing a race against time as he attempts to strike an ever increasingly unlikely Brexit deal before the end of the year.
The prime minister will reportedly fly to Brussels after Wednesday's PMQs to hold a meeting with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in the slim hope that it will unlock the trade negotiations ahead of a summit among EU leaders in Belgium on Thursday.
Although an agreement has been reached over the internal border in Northern Ireland after the controversial Internal Market Bill – which would have broken international laws – was dropped, there is still a matter of striking a trade deal.
The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier has reportedly told EU foreign ministers that a 'no-deal is now more likely than a deal between the EU and the UK.'
All of this leaves Johnson in a very awkward place. The so-called ‘oven-ready deal’ that he bragged about just 12 months ago during the general election hasn’t come to fruition but the fact that he now has to go to Belgium in the vague hope of striking an unlikely deal can only spell embarrassment for the PM – words that were echoed by deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner and other members of the shadow cabinet.
“The chances of no deal are absolutely zero" - @BorisJohnson a year ago. Now he's rushing to Brussels to try to sa… https://t.co/OR1CjCnpmS— Angela Rayner (@Angela Rayner) 1607516544
“The chances of no deal are absolutely zero.” The words of Boris Johnson a year ago. Now he’s throwing around thr… https://t.co/5HNIIm1vyJ— Dr Rosena Allin-Khan 💙 (@Dr Rosena Allin-Khan 💙) 1607516109
Shameful to watch the biggest proponents of Brexit taking their cash and their businesses out of the UK just as the… https://t.co/gg5lmq4iax— David Lammy (@David Lammy) 1607501255
Experts and reporters don't sound too optimistic about what is going to happen to Johnson either.
View from a friend in Brussels: ‘You were a significant EU member when all this began in 2016, but that significanc… https://t.co/SQCkVQhkjv— Tim Walker (@Tim Walker) 1607498455
Very gloomy read out in London tonight as govt source says while process not closed, "things are looking very trick… https://t.co/pFHC6yk6JD— Beth Rigby (@Beth Rigby) 1607377969
The Times: "Boris Johnson has set up a secretive unit in No.10 to co-ordinate the response to the “nightmare scenar… https://t.co/byIDTI7w9l— (((Dan Hodges))) (@(((Dan Hodges)))) 1607505256
Former EU ambassador Ivan Rogers on Boris Johnson, per @e_casalicchio. https://t.co/42EHzKWei4 https://t.co/NuDyGiRhIB— CJ McKinney (@CJ McKinney) 1607508887
The fork in the road to Brexit - Boris Johnson has to choose between being irresponsible or being unprincipled (An… https://t.co/vpAjaKI9NA— davidallengreen (@davidallengreen) 1607505332
Of course, there has been mockery from the pro-EU Twitter crowd.
“We hold all the cards” I insist one last time as I shit myself and scram to Brussels https://t.co/y0PRPB4ogy— James Felton (@James Felton) 1607380188
There's no way Johnson has not already decided whether or not to concede on Level Playing Field. Which makes the tr… https://t.co/cn9DzsENxl— Alex Andreou (@Alex Andreou) 1607409800
Boris Johnson and his crack squad of negotiators off to Brussels https://t.co/nHfisOgI2s— joe heenan (@joe heenan) 1607420524
Does anyone else feel there is something about "am dram" about Johnson going to Brussels to save the day? I'm alrea… https://t.co/wFO2Wk0BCQ— Tony Patterson (@Tony Patterson) 1607369328
Boris Johnson is doing what no PM has ever done, by flying to Brussels to try and save us from himself ...… https://t.co/og8kcHhocb— Richard Milne (@Richard Milne) 1607415237
The last threads of a chance for a Brexit trade deal with the EU hang on Boris Johnson's 'oven-ready' meal with Urs… https://t.co/bo77shkLbs— StrongerStabler (@StrongerStabler) 1607499602
Brexiteers aren’t too impressed with what is going on either.
Von der Leyen says she and Boris will discuss a “Partnership Agreement” agreement in Brussels today. This would b… https://t.co/36J61GpvCK— Nigel Farage (@Nigel Farage) 1607506626
Spot on, @johnredwood! If Brussels had acted in good faith and treated us as a truly independent nation, we'd have… https://t.co/V0M5JJ7UpM— Leave.EU (@Leave.EU) 1607349279
Do not go to Brussels @BorisJohnson. You said you’d end negotiations on 30 June, then 15 Oct, now you’re runnin… https://t.co/Laz2PXGsyQ— Ben Habib (@Ben Habib) 1607370143
So @BorisJohnson is off to Brussels and it won’t be for sprouts 🤣. We’ve plenty of our own British 🇬🇧 grown sprout… https://t.co/rr1zpILt37— Rosie Clarke 🇬🇧 (@Rosie Clarke 🇬🇧) 1607371007
Oh god, Polly Toynbee is on Sky News talking about how a No Deal Brexit would "destroy" every single industry in Br… https://t.co/Q8Yt2724aJ— Julia Hartley-Brewer (@Julia Hartley-Brewer) 1607513596
It remains to be seen what will happen with the Brexit deal but we’ll know sooner rather than later. Needless to say it’s ‘squeaky-bum time’ for the prime minister.
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