Boris Johnson to face Commons grilling as he defends revised Brexit plan

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James Morris3 October 2019
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Boris Johnson is set for a Commons grilling over his fresh Brexit plans.

After a Cabinet meeting in Downing Street on Thursday morning, Mr Johnson will head to the Houses of Parliament to give a statement following the publication of his new Brexit blueprint.

European leaders have so far refused to back the new proposals.

Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, said "a lot of work" still needs to be done in order to solve the Irish backstop issue.

Boris Johnson at the Tory Party conference on Wednesday
Jeremy Selwyn/Evening Standard

It means Mr Johnson can expect a hostile reception in Parliament, with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn saying the Prime Minister’s offer is worse than Theresa May's thrice-rejected deal.

Mr Johnson published his plan after the Tory Party conference finished on Wednesday. He sold it as keeping Northern Ireland tied to EU single market rules for trade in goods, while leaving the customs union with the rest of the UK.

It was labelled a "fair and reasonable compromise".

But European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and Irish premier Varadkar both expressed concerns that the return of customs controls threatened the Good Friday Agreement guarantee to maintain an open border with the Republic.

Mr Varadkar said the proposals "do not fully meet the agreed objectives" of the backstop, while Mr Juncker said there were some "problematic points".

Following the Commons statement, Mr Johnson will go on the charm offensive as he calls EU leaders and appeals for their backing.

Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay had sought to defend the proposals in a round of interviews on Thursday morning.

"We're being very clear that we stand by our commitments to the Belfast Good Friday Agreement," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"There will be no infrastructure on the border."

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