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Published 19:29 IST, October 8th 2019

Angela Merkel tells Boris Johnson that Brexit deal is 'unlikely'

German chancellor Angela Merkel has told Johnson that a Brexit deal was 'overwhelmingly unlikely' except if Britain left Northern Ireland in the customs union

Reported by: Pragya Puri
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Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor in a call told PM Boris Johnson, that the Brexit deal was “overwhelmingly unlikely” on October 8 except if Britain left Northern Ireland in the customs union, a British source told British media. The British source further added that if the conversation on the call is being considered a newly established stance on the issue then it indicates that a deal is not possible now or even in the future. 

Merkel asked the UK to take a new position for Northern Ireland

The source informed that Merkel said that if Germany needed to leave the EU they could do it no issue. However, the UK can't leave without leaving Northern Ireland in a customs union and in absolute alignment forever". The source further included that Merkel disclosed to Johnson she thought the EU had a veto on Britain leaving the customs union.

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EU open for further discussions

However, on October 4, the European Council President, Donald Tusk has told the Prime Minister of United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, that they remain open for discussions but still are not convinced with the proposed deal. PM Johnson was noticed using a slightly more conciliatory tone in the Parliament while presenting his new offers of regulation of trade between Ireland and Northern Ireland after Brexit represented a significant compromise. However, according to the European leaders, the measures proposed by PM Johnson are falling short of the compromise required to strike a deal.

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Ireland believes new Brexit plans fall short in a number of aspects

Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar believes that the new Brexit plans fall short in a number of aspects. The custom checks on the island have been raising concerns for the Irish government along with the European Parliament's Brexit Steering Group who has “grave concerns” about the Brexit proposal. UK lawmakers believe that the deal can not be backed in the current form. Moreover, recently on a visit to Sweden, the Irish PM said he could understand how Britain saw the Northern Ireland and the Republic operating under different customs regimes, without the need for any customs posts. PM Johnson is now focussing on the European Commission summit scheduled on October 17 for another round of diplomatic negotiations in order to get Brexit done.

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(with inputs from agencies)

Updated 22:22 IST, October 8th 2019

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