Brexit negotiations in ‘standstill’, raising chances of extension to October 31 deadline as Boris Johnson struggles with Ireland border issue

While some differences had been ironed out, EU sources said on Wednesday the two sides had reached a ‘standstill’

The main sticking point in the talks is the border between EU member Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland

3-MIN READ3-MIN

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Photo: dpa

Published: 10:25pm, 16 Oct 2019Updated: 11:36pm, 16 Oct 2019

Negotiators on Wednesday struggled to clinch an eleventh-hour Brexit deal on the eve of an EU summit, raising the chances that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will have to seek an extension of the October 31 deadline for Britain’s exit from the bloc.

Talks in Brussels on Tuesday between European Union and British officials ran into the night and resumed just hours later, but Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said there were still “many issues” to be resolved.

Although differences over the complex divorce between the world’s fifth-largest economy and its biggest trading bloc have narrowed significantly, EU sources reported on Wednesday that the two sides had reached a “standstill”.

This was partly because of objections to a proposal on customs from a small Northern Ireland political party whose votes Johnson is likely to need to get a Brexit deal through parliament.

Arlene Foster, leader of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist party (DUP). Photo: Reuters

The main sticking point in the long-running talks with Brussels over Brexit, which has already been delayed twice, is the border between EU member Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland.