‘Guarded optimism’ for Brexit breakthrough

Additional reporting by Juno McEnroe

A breakthrough Brexit “political declaration” creating an EU customs border in the Irish Sea was inching into sight last night as part of a potential deal which could finally end the long-running saga.

Several high-level sources in Ireland, Britain, and the EU hinted at the sudden switch towards the plan — despite ongoing questions over whether it will be backed by MPs or the DUP, and if it will be enough to avoid an emergency EU summit next week.

After days of dwindling hopes of a last-minute Brexit deal since Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and British prime minister Boris Johnson met last Thursday, widespread speculation yesterday morning suggested a deal could not happen this week.

The situation was underlined by the fact that Tánaiste Simon Coveney and the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, told reporters in Luxembourg there was a need to strike a deal by midnight last night.

It was widely expected that the tight timeframe before Mr Barnier would brief EU ambassadors and the EU college of commissioners today meant a deal by tomorrow’s EU summit was next to impossible.

However, in a series of behind-the-scenes talks between British and EU negotiators — which lasted until midnight on Monday, and began again at 8.30am yesterday until the early hours of this morning — significant progress is believed to have been made.

The Irish Examiner understands that while a specific deal had yet to be agreed by midnight last night, a “political declaration” — effectively a detailed statement publicly but not legally committing both sides to future actions — was inching into view.

The declaration would include a political commitment to an EU customs border in the Irish Sea and a relegating of separate Northern Ireland customs union plans, with the DUP set to be offered fresh billions of euro by London in de facto compensation.

It was unclear if a formal written deal — legally tying both sides to the plan — was in place at the time of going to press, with talks expected to last into the early hours of this morning.

However, with officials saying they had “guarded optimism” about a possible breakthrough, hopes are growing about a deal still being struck this week or potentially during a short emergency EU summit before the October 31 Brexit deadline.

Speaking to reporters in Dublin, Mr Varadkar said yesterday evening that talks are “moving in the right direction”, before adding it “remains unclear” if an agreement will be struck in time for tomorrow’s EU summit.

In a statement after a 90- minute meeting with Mr Johnson, DUP leader Arlene Foster said: “We respect the fact negotiations are ongoing, therefore we cannot give a detailed commentary.

“But it would be fair to indicate gaps remain and further work is required.”