FILE PHOTO: British Union Jack and EU flags are pictured before the meeting with Britain’s Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay and European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, September 20, 2019. Kenzo Tribouillard/Pool via REUTERS
October 7, 2019
LONDON (Reuters) – The European Union must match the compromises made by Britain to secure a Brexit deal, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said on Monday, adding British negotiators were ready to continue talks at pace.
The spokesman acknowledged that the talks on a Brexit deal were subject to time pressure, and said Johnson was engaging with foreign leaders on the plans he had proposed.
“We are ready to talk to the EU at pace to secure a deal so that we can move on and build a new partnership between the UK and the EU, but if this is to be possible, the EU must match the compromises that the UK has made,” the spokesman said.
“The PM still believes there is an opportunity to get a deal done, but the EU must understand, in order to achieve that, the backstop has to be removed.”
(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, writing by William James)
