The Brexit negotiations continue in full force after Thursday presented a surprising beam of hope. Yesterday, Ireland’s Leo Varadkar and the United Kingdom’s Boris Johnson met to discuss Brexit matters for a couple of hours.
Varadkar, who is protecting the interests of Ireland and fighting for no border on the island, has been one of the harshest critics of Boris Johnson’s plans so far. This makes the fact that he came out of that meeting with a positive message all the more surprising. Varadkar stated that he sees the possibility for a new withdrawal agreement by the end of the month.
It is unclear exactly what the two Prime Ministers agreed to. Considering how crucial it is to respect the Good Friday Agreement and prevent a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, it is more likely that Boris Johnson has agreed to change his proposal.
Today, the United Kingdom’s government will continue talks with the European Union’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier. Hopefully, we will have more clarity after their meeting.
Both sides are eager to make last-minute progress. The Brexit deadline is October 31, but a deal needs to be secured with the EU by the end of the EU summit on October 17-18, and then presented to a vote in the UK Parliament on October 19. Otherwise there would not be enough time to ratify it.
