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Brexit: Boris Johnson dismisses leaked UK border plan rejected by Dublin as out-of-date - live news Brexit: Boris Johnson dismisses leaked UK border plan rejected by Dublin as outdated - live news
(32 minutes later)
Boris Johnson’s hopes of entering into intensive Brexit negotiations next week are likely to be dashed after his backing for a customs border on the island of Ireland was criticised in Berlin as being a green light for the return of a hard border, my colleagues Daniel Boffery and Jennifer Rankin report.
Boris Johnson's plans for Irish border checks threaten Brexit talks
This morning Boris Johnson criticised his Labour successor as London mayor, Sadiq Khan, for spending too much money on press officers. But, according to the Mirror, Johnson’s own spending on PR was higher.
Turns out Boris Johnson's PR spending at City Hall was actually *higher* than Sadiq Khan's. Awkward. https://t.co/Se9DT4N4bi
Newsnight’s Nicholas Watt has written a good blogpost about Boris Johnson’s plans for an alternative to the backstop. He is not optimistic about a deal. Here’s an extract.
EU sources are withering about the UK proposals. One told me: “Their [the UK] idea for customs land checks are no different from what would happen in no deal.”
The source sees little chance of a deal on the basis of the proposals floated by Mr Johnson’s most senior EU adviser, David Frost.
“We have been told by people we take seriously that Boris Johnson wants a deal,” the source told me. “But we do not see how a deal can be done.”
Sajid Javid, the chancellor, has been taking Treasury questions in parliament this morning. The Commons is sitting, of course, because the normal conference recess was cancelled after the government lost a vote last week.Sajid Javid, the chancellor, has been taking Treasury questions in parliament this morning. The Commons is sitting, of course, because the normal conference recess was cancelled after the government lost a vote last week.
In response to a question from the Tory MP Philip Hollobone, Javid said that the UK would no longer owe the EU £39bn if it left without a deal. Hollobone asked for an assurance that the UK would be able to keep the money in a no-deal situation. And Javid replied: In response to a question from the Tory MP Philip Hollobone, Javid said the UK would no longer owe the EU £39bn if it left without a deal. Hollobone asked for an assurance that the UK would be able to keep the money in a no-deal situation. And Javid replied:
The £39bn is based on a deal. If there is no-deal and we end up leaving with no-deal that 39 billion number is no longer relevant. The £39bn is based on a deal. If there is no deal and we end up leaving with no deal that 39bn number is no longer relevant.
Javid may be right to say the exact £39bn figure (a UK government assessment of how much it would pay under the complicated formula in the withdrawal agreement) would not be relevant under a no-deal Brexit. But government officials believe much or most of this money would still have to be paid, because the financial obligations would still be outstanding.Javid may be right to say the exact £39bn figure (a UK government assessment of how much it would pay under the complicated formula in the withdrawal agreement) would not be relevant under a no-deal Brexit. But government officials believe much or most of this money would still have to be paid, because the financial obligations would still be outstanding.
The Labour MP Helen Hayes also asked Javid if he was confident that hedge funds shorting the pound, “some of which have donated to the prime minister’s leadership campaign and to the Conservative party, have no inside information about the planning or timing of a no-deal Brexit”. The Labour MP Helen Hayes asked Javid if he was confident that hedge funds shorting the pound, “some of which have donated to the prime minister’s leadership campaign and to the Conservative party, have no inside information about the planning or timing of a no-deal Brexit”.
Javid replied:Javid replied:
That really is such a ridiculous suggestion and it doesn’t deserve an answer.That really is such a ridiculous suggestion and it doesn’t deserve an answer.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, has said that some of the 21 Tories who lost the whip after rebelling over Brexit last month could be readmitted to the parliamentary party. In an interview for Moggcast, his ConservativeHome podcast, he said:Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, has said that some of the 21 Tories who lost the whip after rebelling over Brexit last month could be readmitted to the parliamentary party. In an interview for Moggcast, his ConservativeHome podcast, he said:
I always believe in politics in being as generous as you possibly can be. But you cannot have a situation where people are trying to put Jeremy Corbyn in charge of the order paper.I always believe in politics in being as generous as you possibly can be. But you cannot have a situation where people are trying to put Jeremy Corbyn in charge of the order paper.
So, look, if they are willing to show that they are willing to support a Conservative government deliver a Conservative programme, and pull back from what they did before, I think generosity is in the nature of Conservatism, and the Conservative party is a broad church and needs to remain a broad church ... So, look, if they are willing to show that they are willing to support a Conservative government deliver a Conservative programme, and pull back from what they did before, I think generosity is in the nature of conservatism, and the Conservative party is a broad church and needs to remain a broad church ...
So how do we get on from here? Well, let’s see if there are any other votes which give them the chance to come back, but I think a number of them are retiring and have no interest in coming back, so it won’t be everybody.So how do we get on from here? Well, let’s see if there are any other votes which give them the chance to come back, but I think a number of them are retiring and have no interest in coming back, so it won’t be everybody.
He also said there was no obvious way in which the government would be able to get around the Benn Act, which is designed to rule out a no-deal Brexit on 31 October. Asked about potential flaws in the legislation, he replied:He also said there was no obvious way in which the government would be able to get around the Benn Act, which is designed to rule out a no-deal Brexit on 31 October. Asked about potential flaws in the legislation, he replied:
The law is the law as it is. There is the very important question of how it interacts with EU law, but there is no easy and obvious loophole that I can sit here and tell you we can use, because if there is I haven’t spotted it.The law is the law as it is. There is the very important question of how it interacts with EU law, but there is no easy and obvious loophole that I can sit here and tell you we can use, because if there is I haven’t spotted it.
This morning’s conference business - including a session on communities, with contributions from Tory metro mayors Andy Street and Ben Houchen, and Iain Dale in conversation with Lord Dobbs - has not been much of a crowd puller.This morning’s conference business - including a session on communities, with contributions from Tory metro mayors Andy Street and Ben Houchen, and Iain Dale in conversation with Lord Dobbs - has not been much of a crowd puller.
A man has been detained by police after pouring a flammable liquid over himself near the Houses of Parliament, the Press Association reports. The incident unfolded at around 10.45am this morning and the Metropolitan Police said the man is being assessed. London Ambulance Service also attended. A man has been detained by police after pouring a flammable liquid over himself near the Houses of Parliament, the Press Association reports. The incident unfolded at around 10.45am and the Metropolitan police said the man was being assessed. The London Ambulance Service also attended.
The Tory MP Huw Merriman posted his on Twitter. The Tory MP Huw Merriman posted this on Twitter.
Man next to me at Parliament’s carriage gates appears to have poured (what smells like) petrol on himself. Incredibly brave response from police, who are now helping him.Man next to me at Parliament’s carriage gates appears to have poured (what smells like) petrol on himself. Incredibly brave response from police, who are now helping him.
Ian Blackford, the SNP’s leader at Westminster, has said the leaked border plans show that Boris Johnson is not serious about getting a Brexit deal. In a statement he said: Ian Blackford, the Scottish National party’s leader at Westminster, has said the leaked border plans show Boris Johnson is not serious about getting a Brexit deal. In a statement he said:
Boris Johnson’s leaked proposals show the Tory leader is not serious about getting a deal - and is aiming to take Scotland and the UK off a no-deal Brexit cliff.Boris Johnson’s leaked proposals show the Tory leader is not serious about getting a deal - and is aiming to take Scotland and the UK off a no-deal Brexit cliff.
For all the bluster, the proposals just aren’t credible. By fixating on its extreme Brexit obsession, the Tory government is recklessly putting the Good Friday agreement at risk - and would inflict lasting harm on jobs, living standards, public services and the economy across the UK.For all the bluster, the proposals just aren’t credible. By fixating on its extreme Brexit obsession, the Tory government is recklessly putting the Good Friday agreement at risk - and would inflict lasting harm on jobs, living standards, public services and the economy across the UK.
Here is more on exactly what Boris Johnson said this morning about potential customs arrangements in Northern Ireland. (See 9.52am.)Here is more on exactly what Boris Johnson said this morning about potential customs arrangements in Northern Ireland. (See 9.52am.)
On the Today programme Nick Robinson said the RTE leak suggested that there would be a string of border posts, not on the Irish border, but not far back. Asked if that was untrue, Johnson replied: On the Today programme Nick Robinson said the RTÉ leak suggested there would be a string of border posts, not on the Irish border, but not far away. Asked if that was untrue, Johnson replied:
Yes. That’s not what we are proposing at all.Yes. That’s not what we are proposing at all.
Johnson said he did not want to discuss his current proposals until they had been shared properly with the EU. But he said he was not talking about a “hard border” just a few miles away from the actual border. He said: Johnson said he did not want to discuss his proposals until they had been shared properly with the EU. But he said he was not talking about a “hard border” just a few miles away from the actual border. He said:
There are very good reasons why that would not be a good idea. I think everybody familiar with the situation in Ireland can understand why, both for practical reasons and for reasons of sentiment that we totally, totally understand.There are very good reasons why that would not be a good idea. I think everybody familiar with the situation in Ireland can understand why, both for practical reasons and for reasons of sentiment that we totally, totally understand.
Robinson said that some in Ireland, like Sinn Fein (see 10.29am), thought there should be no checks at all on the island of Ireland. But other people argued that there would have to be checks somewhere if the UK was going to be in a separate economic arrangement. What did Johnson think? Johnson replied: Robinson said that some in Ireland, like Sinn Féin (see 10.29am), thought there should be no checks at all on the island of Ireland. But other people argued that there would have to be checks somewhere if the UK was going to be in a separate economic arrangement. What did Johnson think? He replied:
Well, I’m with the second group because that’s just the reality. And I think what we are coming up to now is, as it were, the critical moment of choice for us as friends and partners about how we proceed. Because in the end a sovereign, united country must have a single customs territory. And when the UK withdraws from the EU that must be the state of affairs that we have. But there are plenty of ways we can facilitate north/south trade, plenty of ways in which we can address the problem.Well, I’m with the second group because that’s just the reality. And I think what we are coming up to now is, as it were, the critical moment of choice for us as friends and partners about how we proceed. Because in the end a sovereign, united country must have a single customs territory. And when the UK withdraws from the EU that must be the state of affairs that we have. But there are plenty of ways we can facilitate north/south trade, plenty of ways in which we can address the problem.
Here are tweets from three Brussels experts on the leaked UK plan for customs sites away from the border in Northern Ireland revealed by RTE last night. Of course, Boris Johnson has dismissed the report - although he has said it is a “reality” that some customs checks will be needed. (See 9.52am.) Here are tweets from three Brussels experts on the leaked UK plan for customs sites away from the border in Northern Ireland revealed by RTÉ last night. Of course, Boris Johnson has dismissed the report – although he has said it is a “reality” that some customs checks will be needed. (See 9.52am.)
From Raoul Ruparel, a former adviser on EU policy to Theresa MayFrom Raoul Ruparel, a former adviser on EU policy to Theresa May
I've been on Govt committees looking at 'AAs' for past 3yrs. Initial view:1. Do not meet Joint Report pledges, not clear why Irish/EU would agree2. No SME exemption, not workable for daily trade3. Even 'Max Fac' didn't include such physical infrastructure - regression on 2017 https://t.co/nImFFW8Q8CI've been on Govt committees looking at 'AAs' for past 3yrs. Initial view:1. Do not meet Joint Report pledges, not clear why Irish/EU would agree2. No SME exemption, not workable for daily trade3. Even 'Max Fac' didn't include such physical infrastructure - regression on 2017 https://t.co/nImFFW8Q8C
Peter Foster, the Telegraph’s Europe editor, has posted a Twitter thread starting here.Peter Foster, the Telegraph’s Europe editor, has posted a Twitter thread starting here.
SO. Can confirm, per source, that this plan reported by @tconnellyRTE IS indeed in the UK #Brexit backstop proposal that Boris Johnson will start to brief to EU Leaders tomorrow, per @Telegraph - utterly extraordinary /1https://t.co/x4Jo7mTUgX https://t.co/3PxxSLo9TXSO. Can confirm, per source, that this plan reported by @tconnellyRTE IS indeed in the UK #Brexit backstop proposal that Boris Johnson will start to brief to EU Leaders tomorrow, per @Telegraph - utterly extraordinary /1https://t.co/x4Jo7mTUgX https://t.co/3PxxSLo9TX
And it ends with this.And it ends with this.
You would have had to live in a hole the last three years to think this has any propsect of being accepted by the EU side or the Irish government. This could not be seen as a serious attempt to get a (negotiable) deal, given EU positions. 8/ENDSYou would have had to live in a hole the last three years to think this has any propsect of being accepted by the EU side or the Irish government. This could not be seen as a serious attempt to get a (negotiable) deal, given EU positions. 8/ENDS
From Mujtaba Rahman, a former European commission official and the Brexit specialist for the Eurasia consultancyFrom Mujtaba Rahman, a former European commission official and the Brexit specialist for the Eurasia consultancy
So I hear from senior Irish sources that UK non paper is mirror image of Irish Govt no deal plans to protect Single Market. Think about that. UK plans for deal = Irish Govt plans for no deal. Obviously no way these plans can be sold domestically other than in no deal scenario 1/4So I hear from senior Irish sources that UK non paper is mirror image of Irish Govt no deal plans to protect Single Market. Think about that. UK plans for deal = Irish Govt plans for no deal. Obviously no way these plans can be sold domestically other than in no deal scenario 1/4
Downing St officials at party Conf are defensive. Suspect malicious leak from Bxl. Argue leaks are misrepresentation of UK proposals focusing on one item from non-paper drawn up few weeks ago. No checks at border is absolute commitment. Not proposing a string of customs posts 2/4Downing St officials at party Conf are defensive. Suspect malicious leak from Bxl. Argue leaks are misrepresentation of UK proposals focusing on one item from non-paper drawn up few weeks ago. No checks at border is absolute commitment. Not proposing a string of customs posts 2/4
BJ likely to say something about UK offer in his closing speech to Tory conference Weds. Full detail expected at end of week & talk of "tunnel" between two sides as I flagged earlier in week. But EU sceptical. Senior official on #Brexit tells me: "Customs part is unworkable 3/4BJ likely to say something about UK offer in his closing speech to Tory conference Weds. Full detail expected at end of week & talk of "tunnel" between two sides as I flagged earlier in week. But EU sceptical. Senior official on #Brexit tells me: "Customs part is unworkable 3/4
...Either he shifts to the backstop model for that part (and we are in business) or not (and then it’s no deal)." Things are about to get very hairy indeed. I'm back to Bxl tomorrow. ENDS...Either he shifts to the backstop model for that part (and we are in business) or not (and then it’s no deal)." Things are about to get very hairy indeed. I'm back to Bxl tomorrow. ENDS
Mary Lou McDonald, the Sinn Fein president, told the BBC this morning that the plans for customs sites away from the border - leaked to RTE but subsequently dismissed by Boris Johnson as not reflecting the government’s current thinking - would amount to a return of a hard border. She said a plan like this would be unacceptable to Sinn Fein. She explained: Mary Lou McDonald, the Sinn Féin president, told the BBC this morning that the plans for customs sites away from the border - leaked to RTÉ but subsequently dismissed by Boris Johnson as not reflecting the government’s current thinking - would amount to a return of a hard border. She said a plan like this would be unacceptable to Sinn Féin. She explained:
What has been described in this document is essentially a hard border on the island of Ireland. Anything that causes there to be customs, tariffs, checks anywhere represents a hardening of the border ...What has been described in this document is essentially a hard border on the island of Ireland. Anything that causes there to be customs, tariffs, checks anywhere represents a hardening of the border ...
Boris Johnson voted for the backstop because in a moment of perhaps rare lucidity he recognised that was the bottom line to protect the island of Ireland. I only hope he returns to that position.Boris Johnson voted for the backstop because in a moment of perhaps rare lucidity he recognised that was the bottom line to protect the island of Ireland. I only hope he returns to that position.
Here are the main points from Boris Johnson’s three broadcast interviews this morning.
Johnson played down the row generated by the leak of UK plans for customs clearance sites in Northern Ireland and Ireland, away from the border, by saying these particular proposals were out-of-date. (See 8.09am.) He said there were “very good reasons” why it would not be a good idea just to move border checks away from the border. But he said it was a “reality” that some checks would be needed to create a “single customs territory” for the UK once it leaves the EU. Johnson would not say exactly what the UK was proposing as an alternative to the backstop, but he said the plans would be presented to the EU very soon.
He implied that he might know by the weekend whether or not a deal with the EU will be achievable. He was asked about a story saying this in the Financial Times (paywall). It says:
Mr Johnson’s allies say they expect Britain to submit to Brussels its formal proposals for a Brexit deal — in legal text — after the prime minister closes the Conservative party conference in Manchester.
In his speech to party activists, the prime minister is expected to declare the controversial “Irish backstop” dead, challenging the EU to accept the new British proposal or face the prospect of a disorderly no-deal Brexit.
“By the end of the week everyone will know whether a deal is possible,” said one ally. One cabinet minister said: “If the EU starts to leak and brief against us, that would be a very bad sign.”
Asked about this story, Johnson did not reject its premise. He replied:
What we will be doing is giving our friends a proposal, we think it’s a good proposal. Clearly, if there is no way of getting it over the line from their point of view, we will have to live with that.
He said that he had not asked EU countries to veto a Brexit extension. At the weekend he fuelled speculation that this was his strategy by refusing to say whether or not he had done this. Today, asked directly if he was asking EU leaders to refuse an article 50 extension, as the Times is reporting, he replied:
We haven’t. In truth, we have not made any such request.
But Johnson did not rule out making such a request in future.
He implied that the EU would regret keeping the UK in. Asked directly if the UK was threatening to cause trouble if forced to remain a member, he did not reject the idea, and said that the EU was doing things that were not in the interests of the UK. (See 8.21am.)
He claimed that misconduct allegations against him were being raised now as part of a bid to frustrated Brexit. Asked about the Jennifer Arcuri and Charlotte Edwardes allegations, and why they were surfacing now, he replied:
I think there’s a very good reason, and that is that I’ve been tasked one way or the other to get Brexit done by October 31. And there are quite a lot of well-meaning and highly intelligent people who basically think that that would be something they don’t want to see, and I think that there is a concerted effort now to frustrate Brexit.
At another point he said:
You asked me about why is all this shot and shell raining down on the government - I think it is because we’re going to get on and deliver Brexit by October 31.
He claimed that Sadiq Khan, the current Labour mayor of London, was involved in keeping the Arcuri story in the news.
He said that it was “very sad” that Charlotte Edwardes had accused him of groping her at a lunch 20 years ago. Commenting on her allegation, he said:
I’ve said what I’ve said about that. They are not true. It’s obviously very sad that someone should make such allegations - they are not true.
He rejected claims he had a “women problem”, claiming that he had been “a big champion of women” as London mayor and as foreign secretary.
He said he had never heard of the BBC presenter Naga Munchetty, who has been at the centre of major row over complaints that her comment about Donald Trump using racist language breached editorial guidelines. This story has been headline news, on the BBC and elsewhere, for day. But when Johnson was asked if he thought Munchetty had done anything wrong, he replied:
I am so sorry, I have never heard of her.
When the LBC presenter Nick Ferrari expressed astonishment at this, Johnson went on:
You’re going to have to forgive me. I should know about Naga Munchetty.
He described a claim by his sister Rachel that he was being influenced by hedge fund donors who stood to gain millions from a no-deal Brexit as “absolute nonsense”.
He revived suggestions that the MPs who drafted the Benn Act designed to stop a no-deal Brexit on 31 October may have had foreign help. Asked about the decision by unnamed Number 10 sources to accuse them of “collusion”, he said:
I think there is a legitimate question to be asked about the generation of this SO24 legislation.It is a very interesting situation. We have bills and an act - the so-called Surrender Act - that I’m afraid has a massive consequence for the people and economy of this country were it to be effected.
We have no knowledge of how it was produced. It is not subject to normal parliamentary scrutiny. No-one knows by whose advice or legal advice it was drawn up.
He claimed that he was still the “generous-hearted ... one nation Tory” he was when he was London mayor. When it was put to him that many of his previous supporters were alarmed by how he seemed to have changed as a politician since becoming PM, he replied:
I say to all those who wish to see a return of the old generous-hearted, loving mayor of London and all the rest of it, that person has not gone away. I am a one-nation Tory.
But we are in a position where the only way we can take this country forward and unite our country again is to get Brexit done. That’s what we need to do.
He said he was a “bus fanatic”.
From the Times’s Matt Chorley
Given his Uxbridge majority, perhaps it is not a surprise that Boris Johnson is keen to get a safe seat when he can. No10 insisted the PM would not sit on BBC Breakfast's wobbly bar stools*, and a high-backed chair had to be found pic.twitter.com/mLv8uD7k77
Here is Boris Johnson on the set of Today.
Prime Minister ⁦@BorisJohnson⁩ says the Government is working “flat out” to get a deal on Brexit. “We will work very very hard to get this done”. #r4today pic.twitter.com/GKc0cKg3SF
Q: Do you regret any of the language you have used?
Johnson says he has to recognise that people can take offence.
Q: Has your partner, Carrie Symonds, suggested you tone it down a bit?
No, says Johnson.
He says he persists in thinking the surrender act is an appropriate term for the Benn Act. It gives the EU the power to decide how long the UK would stay in the EU.
(Actually, it doesn’t. See here, the second bullet point.)
And that’s it.
I will post a summary of the key points from all these interviews shortly.
Johnson is now back to buses, saying they can make a huge difference to people’s lives.
He wants people to be able to use contactless payments on buses across the UK.
Ferrari quotes some comments from David Cameron’s book about Johnson: “paranoid ... massive irritation ... full of jealousies that influenced his behaviour.”
Johnson says he has had his up and downs in his relationship with Cameron. He says he has not read Cameron’s book.
Q: Did you tell David Cameron that Brexit would be crushed like a toad?
Johnson says he won’t comment on private conversations.
Q: So it is true.
Q: What was your relationship with Jennifer Arcuri?
Johnson claims this story is being pushed by the current mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. He says Khan has let knife crime out of control.
Q: Did you behave improperly with Charlotte Edwardes?
No, says Johnson.
Q: Matt Hancock says he believes Edwardes. What do you say about that?
Johnson says he is saying what he has to say.
Q: Why are these stories coming out?
Johnson says some intelligent people want to block Brexit. There is a “concerted effort” to stop it happening, he says.
Johnson suggests misconduct allegations against him are being raised as part of an effort to block Brexit.
Q: Are you saying these allegations are politically motivated?
Johnson says he is getting a lot of “shot and shell” because he is trying to deliver Brexit.
And it may be an attempt to distract from his domestic agenda, he says.
Q: Your sister says you are backed by currency speculators who will benefit from a no-deal Brexit.
Johnson says that claim is wrong. But he does not want to say more about his sister.
Johnson says he does not know how Naga Munchetty is, or what the story about her being reprimanded by the BBC was all about.