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Boris Johnson has no intention of renegotiating Brexit deal, EU told
No-deal Brexit is British PM’s ‘central scenario’, chief
Brussels envoy reportedly says
Daniel Boffey in Brussels and Rowena Mason
Mon 5 Aug 2019 18.58 BST First published on Mon 5 Aug 2019
16.43 BST
Boris Johnson has no intention of renegotiating the
withdrawal agreement and a no-deal Brexit is his “central scenario”, European
diplomats have been told, amid hardening evidence in Westminster that the government
is expecting to crash out of the EU.
Brussels diplomats briefed after a meeting between the prime
minister’s chief envoy and senior EU figures in Brussels said that Britain’s
refusal to compromise was understood to have been clear to those attending.
Instead David Frost, the government’s new chief Europe
adviser, is said to have sought discussions on how negotiations could be reset
after the UK crashes out on 31 October.
“It was clear UK does
not have another plan,” a senior EU diplomat said of the meetings with Frost.
“No intention to negotiate, which would require a plan. A no deal now appears
to be the UK government’s central scenario.”
The disclosure came as No 10 insisted the government was
“ready to negotiate in good faith” but made clear that Johnson would only agree
to a deal without what he refers to as the “undemocratic backstop” – the
mechanism to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland that could keep the
UK in a customs union. The EU has repeatedly said the backstop is not up for
negotiation.
The UK’s failure to provide any proposals on how to deal
with the controversial Irish backstop was felt to be significant by EU
officials who spoke to the Guardian.
Frost was said to have told the officials that a
technological solution to the Irish border was the UK’s preferred option before
admitting that “it would not be ready now for Brexit”.
“Even if EU gave up the backstop there is no alternative,” a
diplomat concluded of the discussion.
“That message has now gone loud and clear to capitals, it
was useful to hear it from horse’s mouth,” the EU source said. “Reality is
sinking in.”
With no new UK-EU talks scheduled, there were meanwhile
signs in Westminster that Johnson’s government was readying itself for a
no-deal Brexit and preparing to do battle with Tory MPs who have said they will
join with opposition parties to prevent that outcome.
The prime minister’s senior adviser, Dominic Cummings,
instructed special advisers across the government to keep on top of
preparations for a no deal Brexit early on Monday morning and attacked Philip
Hammond, the former chancellor, for failing to get the country ready.
Over the weekend, it became clear he believes that Johnson
could simply refuse to resign in the event of losing a no-confidence motion and
schedule an general election for November – after leaving the EU at the end of
October.
Johnson said on Monday that an election was the “last thing”
he wanted. But his official spokesman stressed at his regular briefing for
journalists that Brexit would take place on 31 October “whatever the
circumstances”, even if parliament has voted against a no-deal departure or
passed a confidence motion against the prime minister necessitating an
election.
Conservative rebels plotting against a no-deal Brexit are
already considering how to thwart No 10, believing an alternative government
could potentially be created with a majority to challenge Johnson if he loses a
confidence vote.
Corbyn indicated on Monday that he may be prepared to bring
a no-confidence vote in the government very soon after parliament returns from
its summer break in September.
“We will do everything to stop no deal, including a
no-confidence vote at the appropriate very early time to do it,” he said on a
visit to flood-stricken Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire. “The prime minister seems
to be trying to slip no deal through, slip past parliament and slip past the
British people.
“Sorry, no deal
will be really serious. Serious for food prices, for medical supplies, for
trade, for investment, and drive us straight into the hands of the sort of
trade deal that Donald Trump wants to do with Boris Johnson.
“I’m sorry, it’s
not on, it’s not acceptable. We will do everything we can to block it.”
Several Conservative MPs, including Hammond, have indicated
they could vote with Labour to bring Johnson down if he is set on a no-deal
Brexit. Friends of Hammond also hit back at Cummings on Monday, saying it was
“simply untrue” that the Treasury had failed to prepare.
“The bigger question is why is Dominic Cummings, the de
facto deputy PM, so keen to spend yet more taxpayers’ money on something that
his boss insists has only a one in a million chance of happening?” one Hammond
ally said.
EU officials increasingly believe the UK is heading for a
no-deal exit after their meetings with Frost, who replaced Theresa May’s chief
negotiator, Olly Robbins. Last week, Frost met Clara Martínez Alberola, the
head of cabinet for the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker;
Stéphanie Riso, a senior official in Michel Barnier’s negotiations taskforce,
who was a key player in drafting the terms of the backstop, and Ilze Juhansone,
the deputy secretary general at the commission.
The demand over the weekend by the Brexit secretary, Stephen
Barclay, that Barnier seek a new negotiating mandate from the EU’s leaders to
allow fresh talks was seen as mere “noise”.
Diplomats said the message was seen as “confrontational –
unhelpful” but that more in that vein was expected at a meeting of the G7 in
Biarritz, when Johnson will meet Juncker.
A spokeswoman for the European commission said the impact of
the UK crashing out would be proportionally heavier on the British side of the
Channel.
The spokeswoman added: “For a negotiation to be successful
it takes two to tango. If the music and the rhythm is not right then … you have
no dance.
“But that doesn’t mean that it was a failure. I think both
sides negotiated with the very best intentions and very best efforts. The
outcome on the table is the best deal possible and I don’t think there is any
fault or blame to be looked for in this.”
A UK government spokesman said: “We are ready to negotiate
in good faith an alternative to the anti-democratic backstop.
“There is abundant scope to find the technological solutions
necessary – and these solutions can and will be found, in the context of the
free trade agreement that we will negotiate with the EU after 31 October.”
The spokesman added: “The prime minister wants to meet EU
leaders and negotiate a new deal – one that abolishes the anti-democratic
backstop.
“We will throw ourselves into the negotiations with the
greatest energy and the spirit of friendship. The fact is the withdrawal
agreement has been rejected by parliament three times and will not pass in its
current form so – if the EU wants a deal – it needs to change its stance. Until
then, we will continue to prepare to leave the EU on 31 October.”
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