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| Brexit: 'Keep your promises', Germany tells Johnson, amid EU fears UK backtracking on its pledges - live news | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including the EU agreeing its negotiating mandate for the post-Brexit trade talks with the UK, and the Guardian’s Labour leadership hustings in Manchester | Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including the EU agreeing its negotiating mandate for the post-Brexit trade talks with the UK, and the Guardian’s Labour leadership hustings in Manchester |
| Here are the quotes, and the main points, from the Simon Coveney doorstep earlier. (See 9.23am.) | |
| Coveney, the Irish foreign minister, said that if the UK failed to put in place the new border rules for Northern Ireland required under the withdrawal agreement this year, that would “damage significantly” the chances of a trade deal being struck. He said: | |
| Coveney said the EU expected to see the UK make progress towards implementing the new border arrangements within the next few months. This was a matter of “good faith and trust”, he said. | |
| He also said the arrangements in the Northern Ireland protocol (ie, the new border rules) had to be “fully implemented and ready to go next year”. | |
| He said the Irish government was happy with the EU’s mandate for the trade talks with the UK. He said: | |
| He said the mandate amounted to an offer to the UK that was “generous and fair”. | |
| Although the EU and the UK are trying to negotiate a trade deal, they have already signed one Brexit treaty already - the withdrawal agreement, which included provisions for Northern Ireland to stay in the single market. This was problematic for the Tories because it effectively puts a customs border down the Irish Sea. | |
| At the weekend the Sunday Times (paywall) reported that Boris Johnson intends to “get around” this agreement by interpreting it in a way that would minimise or remove the need for any checks on goods. Yesterday No 10 dismissed this report, saying the government would abide by its obligations. But Downing Street also said that the government has not asked “any ports to prepare for new checks or controls between GB/NI” - even thought the EU says the Northern Ireland protocol (the section of the withdrawal agreement covering NI customs rules) does require new checks. | |
| This has made EU ministers distinctly nervous. Simon Coveney, the Irish foreign minister, was warning a few minutes ago that if the UK were to renege on its commitments, that would have very serious consequences. (See 9.23am.) And in an interview when he arrived Michael Roth, German Europe minister, said the UK had to “keep its promises”. | |
| Asked if he was worried about the reports suggesting the UK might avoid implementing the checks and controls required under the protocol, Roth said: | |
| He also said that the EU expected the UK to abide by the political declaration (pdf) - the short document about the future relationship published alongside the withdrawal agreement. He said: | |
| The political declaration says: “The future relationship must ensure open and fair competition, encompassing robust commitments to ensure a level playing field.” EU leaders are worried that, in his determination to ensure that the UK does not remain bound by EU rules, Johnson will discard this level playing field promise. | |
| At the general affairs council in Brussels Helen McEntee, the Irish Europe minister, and Simon Coveney, the Irish foreign minister, have just arrived. They say they have come from a meeting with Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator. | At the general affairs council in Brussels Helen McEntee, the Irish Europe minister, and Simon Coveney, the Irish foreign minister, have just arrived. They say they have come from a meeting with Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator. |
| Coveney says the EU is doing what it has always done in the Brexit process - staying united, and sticking to deadlines. | Coveney says the EU is doing what it has always done in the Brexit process - staying united, and sticking to deadlines. |
| He says that, from the Irish perspective, the text is strong. | He says that, from the Irish perspective, the text is strong. |
| But he says the EU wants to be sure that the agreements already struck in the withdrawal agreement must be implemented in full. He says the arrangements in the Northern Ireland protocal must be ready to go at the end of the year. | But he says the EU wants to be sure that the agreements already struck in the withdrawal agreement must be implemented in full. He says the arrangements in the Northern Ireland protocal must be ready to go at the end of the year. |
| He says the EU mandate amounts to a “generous and fair” offer to the UK. And it protects Ireland. | He says the EU mandate amounts to a “generous and fair” offer to the UK. And it protects Ireland. |
| Q: What will happen if the UK does not implement the protocol? | Q: What will happen if the UK does not implement the protocol? |
| Coveney says that would have have very serious impact. | Coveney says that would have have very serious impact. |
| Implementing agreements that have already been struck is a test of “good faith”. | Implementing agreements that have already been struck is a test of “good faith”. |
| He says if there is no process in the next few months on implementing the protocol that would amount to a very worrying signal. | He says if there is no process in the next few months on implementing the protocol that would amount to a very worrying signal. |
| He says Barnier agrees with the Irish government on this. | He says Barnier agrees with the Irish government on this. |
| If the UK does not implement the deal, that would damage the prospects of even a “bare bones” trade deal being agreed by the end of this year. | If the UK does not implement the deal, that would damage the prospects of even a “bare bones” trade deal being agreed by the end of this year. |
| But he says today he wants to focus on the positive. | But he says today he wants to focus on the positive. |
| Whatever has been agreed in an international treaty needs to be implemented in full. | Whatever has been agreed in an international treaty needs to be implemented in full. |
| He says the joint committee being set up under the Northern Ireland protocol is not there to carry out a negotiation. It is there to implement something that has already been agreed, he says. | He says the joint committee being set up under the Northern Ireland protocol is not there to carry out a negotiation. It is there to implement something that has already been agreed, he says. |
| EU ministers are meeting this morning to sign off the text of their negotiating mandate for the post-Brexit trade talks with the UK. As my colleague Daniel Boffey reports, the EU will demand the UK maintains a ban on chlorinated chicken as the price for a trade agreement with Brussels. Here is an extract from his story. | EU ministers are meeting this morning to sign off the text of their negotiating mandate for the post-Brexit trade talks with the UK. As my colleague Daniel Boffey reports, the EU will demand the UK maintains a ban on chlorinated chicken as the price for a trade agreement with Brussels. Here is an extract from his story. |
| And here is the story in full. | And here is the story in full. |
| EU ministers are still arriving at the general affairs council meeting in Brussels, and there is a live feed of the arrivals here. I will post some extracts from what they have been saying shortly. | EU ministers are still arriving at the general affairs council meeting in Brussels, and there is a live feed of the arrivals here. I will post some extracts from what they have been saying shortly. |
| Here is the agenda for the day. | Here is the agenda for the day. |
| Morning: EU ministers meet at the general affairs council to agree the EU’s negotiating mandate for the trade talks with the UK. | Morning: EU ministers meet at the general affairs council to agree the EU’s negotiating mandate for the trade talks with the UK. |
| 9.30am: Boris Johnson chairs cabinet. After that Johnson will chair a meeting of the cabinet’s EU exit strategy (XS) committee which will agree the UK’s own negotiating strategy. | 9.30am: Boris Johnson chairs cabinet. After that Johnson will chair a meeting of the cabinet’s EU exit strategy (XS) committee which will agree the UK’s own negotiating strategy. |
| 12pm: Downing Street lobby briefing. | 12pm: Downing Street lobby briefing. |
| Around 1.30pm: The EU is due to hold a press conference following the GAC meeting. | Around 1.30pm: The EU is due to hold a press conference following the GAC meeting. |
| 6.30pm: The Labour leadership candidates Sir Keir Starmer, Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy speak at a hustings event organised by the Guardian in Manchester. My colleague Anushka Ashthana is chairing it. | 6.30pm: The Labour leadership candidates Sir Keir Starmer, Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy speak at a hustings event organised by the Guardian in Manchester. My colleague Anushka Ashthana is chairing it. |
| The National Farmers’ Union is also starting its conference in Birmingham. Minette Batters, the NFU president, is speaking. | The National Farmers’ Union is also starting its conference in Birmingham. Minette Batters, the NFU president, is speaking. |
| As usual, we will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. I will be blogging this morning, a colleague will take over in the afternoon while I get a train to Manchester, and then I will be covering the Labour hustings. | As usual, we will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. I will be blogging this morning, a colleague will take over in the afternoon while I get a train to Manchester, and then I will be covering the Labour hustings. |
| You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads. | You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads. |
| If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow. | If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow. |
| I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone. | I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone. |
| If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. | If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. |