More talks before divorce

ANTI-BREXIT activists hold Union and EU flags as they demonstrate opposite the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London on Thursday. AFP

LONDON, UK (AFP) — Britain’s Brexit negotiators are to meet their European Union (EU) counterparts twice a week throughout September, London said Thursday, in a bid to strike a new divorce deal.

Britain is due to leave the European Union on 31 October without a withdrawal agreement, unless one can be struck and then approved by parliament.

The increase in meetings and discussions is necessary if we are to have a chance of agreeing a deal for when we leave on 31 October — no ifs, no buts.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May struck a deal with Brussels but parliament rejected it three times.

so-called backstop, its fallback provisions regarding the Irish border, pulled out completely — the only thing MPs indicated they were willing to support.

“We are ready to work in an energetic and determined way to get a deal done,” Johnson said.

“While I have been encouraged with my discussions with EU leaders over recent weeks that there is a willingness to talk about alternatives to the anti-democratic backstop, it is now time for both sides to step up the tempo.

“The increase in meetings and discussions is necessary if we are to have a chance of agreeing a deal for when we leave on 31 October — no ifs, no buts.”

Johnson’s lead Brexit negotiator is David Frost. He will be joined in Brussels by different officials depending on the talks’ agenda, including experts on customs, regulatory issues and trade policy, the government said.

“Discussions so far have shown that the two sides remain some distance apart on key issues but that both sides are willing to work hard to find a way through,” Johnson’s Downing Street office said in a statement.

“The teams intend to run through a range of issues including the impasse around the backstop.

“The PM has been clear that there will no new deal unless the withdrawal agreement is reopened and the backstop taken out,” it added.