PM seals EU deal - but DUP says no: Boris Johnson faces Super Saturday showdown with MPs to keep Brexit agreement alive

  • PM leaves early for EU summit in Brussels after negotiators strike an 11th-hour deal
  • Breakthrough overshadowed by bitter opposition from Mr Johnson’s DUP allies
  • Read our live politics updates HERE
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Boris Johnson was set to make history today by shaking hands with European Commission boss Jean-Claude Juncker on a Brexit deal — but in the face of opposition from the DUP.

The Prime Minister left early for a European Union summit in Brussels after negotiators struck an 11th-hour deal. He was heading straight to a meeting with Mr Juncker where they planned to celebrate with a handshake.

Mr Johnson trumpeted his success on Twitter at 10.40am , writing: “We’ve got a great new deal that takes back control — now Parliament should get Brexit done on Saturday so we can move on to other priorities like the cost of living, the NHS, violent crime and our environment #GetBrexitDone #TakeBackControl.”

PA

Mr Juncker joined in: “Where there is a will, there is a deal — we have one! It’s a fair and balanced agreement for the EU and the UK and it is testament to our commitment to find solutions. I recommend that the [EU summit] endorses this deal.”

But the breakthrough was overshadowed by bitter opposition from Mr Johnson’s DUP allies to critical areas of the text, including customs tariffs and a consent mechanism.

Arlene Foster has issued a statement saying they cannot support Boris Johnson's deal 'as it stands' 
PA Archive/PA Images

In a dramatic early-morning statement, the party, which has 10 MPs at Westminster, said it “could not support” proposals that are understood to involve allowing Northern Ireland’s future to be settled by a simple majority in the assembly , rather than by a double-majority of both Unionists and Nationalists, and for it to be a de facto part of the EU customs area.

A DUP source responded to Mr Johnson’s announcement of the deal by saying: “Read our statement, it has not changed.”

That in turn left open the question of whether Mr Johnson can secure a majority at the House of Commons, which was today expected to agree to hold a special sitting on Saturday. One senior minister said a second referendum was looking more likely.

It appeared that Mr Johnson was gambling on sheer willpower to get the DUP on board or appeal to Labour and other opposition MPs to break ranks.

Michel Barnier pictured on Thursday after the agreement was announced
Reuters

The full text of the accord has not been published yet but government sources said the entire UK will leave the EU’s customs union and be able to strike trade deals with countries around the world.

There will be a special arrangement for Northern Ireland, reflecting its unique circumstances.

A No 10 source asserted: “We will guarantee — and reinforce — the peace process and avoid any issues at the border. Northern Ireland will have no hard border with the Republic or Great Britain, and will remain forever part of the UK customs territory. NI will have access to the single market, but also be part of UK trade deals negotiated around the world. Crucially, this arrangement will be underpinned by the principle of democratic consent, through the ability to leave the special arrangement via a democratic vote in the NI Assembly.” It was not clear how a hard border with the mainland could be avoided.

In a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk, Mr Juncker recommended backing for the deal at today’s summit. He wrote: “Our hand should always remain outstretched as the United Kingdom will remain a key partner of the European Union in the future.”

The day began with a bombshell from the DUP. In a statement, issued just before 7am, party leader Arlene Foster and Westminster leader Nigel Dodds said: “As things stand, we could not support what is being suggested on customs and consent issues, and there is a lack of clarity on VAT.

“We will continue to work with the Government to try and get a sensible deal that works for Northern Ireland and protects the economic and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom.”

The words left open the possibility of an 11th-hour, if more concessions are made by Dublin and Brussels, but talks between Mrs Foster, Mr Dodds and the Prime Minister in Downing Street yesterday appeared to have gone badly. “It did not go well,” one person close to the talks told The Financial Times. Another No10 aide said the DUP were a “bloody nightmare”.

Jean-Claude Juncker wrote a letter to Donald Tusk, pictured, about the agreement 
REUTERS

The pound fell 0.5 per cent against the dollar and the euro within minutes of the DUP announcement.

Without the DUP on board, the challenge for Mr Johnson to get any deal through the Commons, immediately becomes much more difficult as some members of the hardline Tory European Research Group will take a lead from the unionist party.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs, said: “There are a significant number in the ERG who have always said that they will vote for a deal if the DUP are happy about it.” If Tory MPs peel away, the Government will need even more Labour MPs to break rank and back the Brexit plans to get it through Parliament. The Prime Minister, who spoke to Mr Juncker this morning in a last-minute attempt to smooth the way for a deal, needs to get an agreement and for it to be backed by the Commons on Saturday to avoid having to ask for an extension to the October 31 deadline to quit the EU.

Mr Johnson has vowed “do or die” that the UK will leave the EU by the end of this month. But the Benn Act pushed through Parliament by no-deal opponents states that he must seek a delay if MPs do not give their backing to an agreement in the emergency sitting of the Commons. No 10 claims the new deal is better than the one that Theresa May signed, saying her backstop gave Brussels powers to impose EU laws and taxes “for ever”.

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