With the U.K. in Turmoil, Brexit Talks Are Slipping Backward
- Burst of optimism evaporates and a breakthrough seems remote
- EU has concerns about Irish backstop, U.K. future relationship
Boris Johnson insists his priority is still to get a Brexit deal rather than leave on Oct. 31 without one. European Union officials with knowledge of the negotiations in Brussels aren’t convinced, saying a lack of seriousness suggests the British side is playing for time. So what’s really going on?
Johnson was heckled by a passerby in Morley in West Yorkshire on Thursday who told him he “should be in Brussels negotiating.” In truth, his envoy, David Frost, is there for meetings with the European Commission twice a week. They’re scheduled to continue this week. While a U.K. spokesman called them “constructive,” one EU official with knowledge of the negotiations said they were farcical, another said they were useless, and a third said they appeared only to be there to boost Johnson’s election prospects. All spoke on condition of anonymity.