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No Brexit deal tonight, UK govt sources tell international media on Wednesday

Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 16 Oct 2019, 11:51 pm Print

No Brexit deal tonight, UK govt sources tell international media on Wednesday

London/Brussels, Oct 16 (Xinhua/JEN) According to latest report by BBC on Wednesday night, a government source in the UK has told the British media that there will be "no [Brexit] deal tonight", as officials continue to work on the technical details in the Belgium capital. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was expected to hold a Cabinet briefing on Wednesday afternoon on the ongoing Brexit talks in Brussels as Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said that there are "many issues" to be resolved before a Brexit agreement can be reached.  

A Brexit agreement “feels unlikely” to be reached on Wednesday during crunch talks between UK and EU negotiators, a government source has told CNN.

"The source says 10 Downing St is 'guiding operationally not to expect anything tonight,'" CNN reported.

According to the American television channel, the European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier has started his briefing to EU ambassadors on Brexit at 7 pm local time in Brussels.

The Cabinet briefing was expected to kick off at 4:00 p.m. BST on Wednesday before the prime minister addresses a scheduled meeting of the parliamentary group of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons, media reports said.

The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg said it was not now clear whether there would be a deal at all this week. Boris Johnson has been trying to get Tory Brexiteers and the DUP to back his revised plan for Northern Ireland, it reported.
The Brexit talks continued on Wednesday in Brussels ahead of a vital European Union (EU) summit on Thursday and Friday. Johnson has long seen the upcoming summit as the crucial moment for Brexit talks.

"It’s time to get Brexit done and get on with delivering on Britain’s priorities: safer streets, better hospitals and improved schools," Johnson tweeted.

French President Emmanuel Macron said  he wanted to believe a Brexit deal was being finalized and could be agreed on at the European Council summit Thursday.

"I want to believe that an agreement is being finalized and that we’ll be able to endorse it tomorrow,” Macron told a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

British and EU negotiators worked in Brussels until 2:30 a.m. London time on Wednesday and they resumed talks on Wednesday morning, according to the reports.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, was due to tell ambassadors of the 27 EU members on Wednesday afternoon whether there is an agreement to be signed off by leaders when they meet at the summit.

If the British prime minister fails to win a deal from Brussels, he will be forced by law to seek a delay to Britain's scheduled departure from the regional bloc on Oct. 31.
Earlier Wednesday, British Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay told the Evening Standard newspaper that the prime minister will send a letter seeking a Brexit extension if no deal is passed by Saturday.

Barclay also said the British government has submitted draft texts for the political declaration with the EU. Asked if the government is discussing a revised political declaration with the EU, Barclay said: "Yes we are."

German government officials said reaching a deal this week was an ambitious target and that agreeing on the technical issues could require another two months of talks, unless Britain made big enough concessions, said the reports.

Johnson has long made it clear that he will take his country out of the EU on Oct. 31 with or without a deal, and he will not ask Brussels for "another pointless delay" of Brexit.