Chatterbox Wednesday

Boris Johnson: “60 days ago, nobody said that we could change the withdrawal agreement in the EU Treaty”

Robert Peston: “But you haven’t changed it”

BJ: “Nobody said everybody – on the contrary…Everybody around the EU. Now accepts that it must be changed”

RP: “But it may be changed. It hasn’t happened.”

BJ: “Nobody said that we could change the, uh, the backstop that is,”

RP: “But has it been done?”

BJ: “That is now under serious negotiation.”

RP: “t’s under discussion but when I talk to people in European capitals. They are very sceptical. You’ll get anything like what you want.”

BJ: “Well, it is certainly true, Robert, that uh, the British negotiating position has been undermined by the so-called surrender bill. Well not ‘so called’ It is a surrender bill. Uh, the, the, the bill that says that we’d have to rule out no deal. They’ve tried to wreck our negotiating position, but we’re not going to let them do it,

We’re going to get on and negotiate a deal if we possibly can. And if we can’t get up to you, then we’re going to come out of the EU on October the 31st come what may.”

RP: “But you did say something that I thought was very interesting to MPs, which is, that you believe now that EU are agreeing to some mechanism. You’ve got it, the principle of consent whereby whatever arrangements, if any arrangements to replace the backstop are agreed, they will be a way for Northern Ireland to get out of those arrangements. How would that work?”

BJ: “Well, I mean, this is, this is kind of where the rubber is hitting the road. Okay. The, the, the, the, the problem with the backstop is, is it, it’s the, it’s the arrangement, right?

Exactly. It’s the arrangement that keeps the UK locked in the, uh, EU’s legal order, the customs union and the single market with the EU having the say about our ability to exit. That’s the problem with it. And it’s just never going to go through the House of Commons. So we need to get rid of that.

RP: “But do you get any sense, you were saying to some MPs that you think the EU will move on that. Genuinely?”

BJ: “Yes, I do. And they already genuinely have moved in the sense that they’re willing to consider other ways that allow us to work with our Irish friends to accomplish several things. Number one, we need to avoid any kind of border checks.”

[...]

RP: “...the attorney general said today that you would abide by the so called Benn act, which says if you can’t get a deal, you’ve got to write to the EU requesting an extension. So you’re going to write this letter, are you?

BJ: “Well we’re going to go for a deal”

RP: “No! No! He said you would abide by this law, that means you would have to write the letter if there is no deal?”

BJ: “That of course only kicks in. If we fail to get a deal”

RP: “But you’re conceding there’s a reasonable prospect you’re not going to get a deal.”

BJ: “And under these circumstances, what I can say to you is that we will respect the law and we will come out on October the 31st”

RP: “But those two statements, many would say are completely incompatible”

BJ: “Well we will respect the law and we will come out on October 31st”

RP: “How?”

BJ: “Well. Obviously we’ve got some, some tough negotiations ahead and if you’ll forgive me, I don’t want to tip the hand of the UK government more than parliament is already required us to do so.