LONDON: PrimeMinister Boris Johnson yesterday said Brussels and Brexit-blocking MPs wereguilty of a "terrible collaboration" that would force Britain towardsa no-deal exit from the EU. He accused the European Union of taking anuncompromising position towards London because it believes Brexit can bestopped in the British parliament.
Taking questionsfrom the public live on Facebook-a first for a British PM-Johnson said Brusselsneeded to compromise to avoid the UK leaving the EU without a deal on October31. It came after former finance minister Philip Hammond slammed Johnson's"wrecking" approach to negotiations, saying the new PM had setBrussels an impossibly high bar to meet, in demanding the complete removal ofits fallback provisions.
"There's aterrible collaboration going on between people who think they can block Brexitin parliament and our European friends," Johnson said. "They are notcompromising at all on the withdrawal agreement... because they still thinkthat Brexit can be blocked in parliament," he said. "The awful thingis that the longer that goes on, the more likely it is, of course, that we willbe forced to leave with a no-deal Brexit."
The Britishparliament three times rejected the divorce deal negotiated between Brusselsand Johnson's predecessor Theresa May. Many MPs were troubled by the"backstop"-a mechanism that would keep the UK in EU customsarrangements to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland. Johnson said hedid not want a no-deal Brexit but Brussels had to give ground in order to avoidit. "The more they think there's a chance Brexit can be blocked inparliament, the more adamant they are in sticking to their position," hesaid.
No-deal'betrayal': Hammond
Earlier, Hammondsaid a no-deal Brexit would betray Britain's 2016 decision to leave the EU.Hammond, who quit as chancellor just hours before Johnson took over from May onJuly 24, said there was no popular or parliamentary mandate for a no-dealBrexit, saying most people wanted an orderly exit from the EU. "No-dealwould be a betrayal of the 2016 referendum result. It must not happen," hewrote in The Times newspaper.
He said it couldturn Britain into "a diminished and inward-looking little England".Hammond said the shift of position from seeking changes to the backstop todemanding its complete removal "is a pivot from a tough negotiating stanceto a wrecking one". "This is a demand the EU cannot, and will not, accedeto," he wrote. "It's time for our government to demonstrate itscommitment to a genuine negotiation with the EU to achieve a deal."
Hammond said ano-deal Brexit would risk breaking up of the United Kingdom. He also warnedthat if parliament wanted to go down a particular route to prevent a no-dealBrexit, the means would emerge to allow that to happen. John Bercow, thespeaker of parliament's lower House of Commons, warned separately he would"fight... with every bone in my body" against any attempt by Johnsonto suspend parliament to force through no-deal against MPs' wishes. The Commons"must have its way", he told an audience at the Edinburgh FestivalFringe, according to The Daily Telegraph newspaper.- AFP