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When talks between Britain and the European Union resumed in Brussels on Monday, Downing Street reduced its rhetoric about a no-deal outcome and emphasized that British negotiators were working towards a deal.
“Obviously, no deal is a possible outcome, as the prime minister himself has said. But we have been clear that we will continue working and we hope to reach a free trade agreement. That is what the prime minister raised yesterday in his call to Ursula von der Leyen, “said Boris Johnson’s official spokesman.
Downing Street later issued a clarification emphasizing that Johnson still believed that the most likely outcome was no deal. But the decision to continue negotiating without a new deadline was received in both London and Brussels as a sign that the two sides are moving towards an agreement.
If an agreement is reached, it must be ratified by the European Parliament and Westminster MPs expect to vote on implementing legislation for any agreement. The prime minister’s official spokesman declined to confirm that there will be such a vote or that MPs will be asked to endorse the deal before it takes effect.
national interest
“Obviously I am not going to get ahead of the house matters that are obviously set in the usual way. We trust that there is time to do what is necessary in parliament, ”he said.
Labor leader Keir Starmer said he would act in the national interest in any vote on the Brexit deal, despite what he called the prime minister’s record of “too promising and poor.” He said Labor would hold Johnson to account for his promise to achieve Brexit.
“An agreement is in the national interest, a non-agreement is not, it seems that we are at a fork in the road,” he said.
Sir Keir said both sides needed to act in the next few days to make an agreement possible, but that he did not believe the talks would fail over fishing quotas. Scottish government Brexit secretary Michael Russell said the Scottish National Party would not endorse any deal Johnson brings.
‘Absolute madness’
“I doubt that any agreement is sufficient for Scotland; we vote against this. [What] what we should be doing is saying if this is total insanity. Even right now, look at this and imagine what a big mistake you are making. Why the heck are we going to vote for the first time for a Brexit solution that is totally wrong for Scotland? “, Said.
As expectations rose for an imminent Westminster deal, veteran Conservative MP Roger Gale, who voted against Brexit in 2016, said Johnson should resign if he fails to reach a deal with the EU.
“If an acceptable agreement is not reached, the prime minister will have failed. I think then his position would be untenable. So an honorable man would make room for someone else to give the country the leadership it needs. That is precisely what David Cameron did when he failed to win the referendum, “he said.
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