FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron accompanies British Prime Minister Boris Johnson after a meeting on Brexit at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, August 22, 2019. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
October 7, 2019
By Paul Sandle
LONDON (Reuters) – Boris Johnson urged French President Emanuel Macron to “push forward” to secure a Brexit deal and told him the EU should not be lured into the mistaken belief that the UK would stay in the bloc after Oct.31, the British prime minister’s office said.
Johnson discussed his Brexit proposal, which has received a cool reception in Brussels, with Macron and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa on Sunday.
“This is the chance to get a deal done: a deal that is backed by parliamentarians and a deal which involves compromise on all sides,” a senior British government source said on Sunday.
“The UK has made a big, important offer but it’s time for the Commission to show a willingness to compromise too. If not the UK will leave with no deal.”
With the Oct. 31 deadline approaching, Johnson has consistently said he will not ask for another delay to Brexit, but also when asked about legislation that forces him to request one if no withdrawal deal has been agreed by Oct. 19., he has said he will not break the law.
He has not explained the apparent contradiction in his comments.
With just 24 days before the United Kingdom is due to leave the EU, the future of Brexit, its most significant geopolitical move since World War Two, is uncertain. It could leave with a deal or without one – or not leave at all.
Both sides are positioning themselves to avoid blame for a delay or a disorderly no-deal Brexit.
(Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
