British PM Boris Johnson faces uphill task after reaching Brexit deal II

The new Brexit agreement marks a compromise on the part of both London and Brussels on the key issue of Northern Ireland, with political and other implications on the geographically separated part of the United Kingdom on the island of Ireland.

After weeks of tortuous talks, the Boris Johnson government on Thursday reached an agreement with the European Union on leaving the bloc, but faced an uphill task to secure the approval of the House of Commons on Saturday, with a key ally opposing it.

The agreement announced in Brussels is an updated version of the December 2018 deal reached by former Prime Minister Theresa May. It was voted down thrice in parliament, prompting her resignation and Johnson staking his position on a ‘deal or no-deal Brexit’.

The latest agreement needs to be approved by the House of Commons and 27 parliaments of EU member-states before the scheduled Brexit date of October 31. Soon after the agreement was announced, there were already voices of dissent in London.

The agreement marks a compromise on the part of both London and Brussels on the key issue of Northern Ireland, with political and other implications on the geographically separated part of the United Kingdom on the island of Ireland.

The Northern Ireland-based 10-member Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which has been propping up the minority Conservative government since the 2017 mid-term election, remained upset with the new provisions, and announced its decision to vote against it.

The Johnson government is already in a minority, but lost 21 more Conservative MPs in September when they voted against the government on a motion to rule out a no-deal Brexit. Johnson now is dependent on opposition MPs to ensure the agreement’s approval.

Johnson called it a ‘great deal’ and urged MPs to come together to approve it and deliver on the outcome of the 2016 referendum to leave the EU, which has since bitterly divided the United Kingdom, its politics and public discourse.

He said: “I do think this deal represents a very good deal for the EU and the UK. I think it is a reasonable, fair outcome and reflects the large amount of work undertaken by both sides”.

“It means the UK leaves whole and entire on 31 October and it means that Northern Ireland and every part of the UK can take part in not just free trade deals, offering our tariffs, exporting our goods around the world, but it also means we can take, together as a single United Kingdom, decisions about our future - our laws, our borders, our money and how we want to run the UK”.

EU Commission president Jean Claude-Juncker called the agreement a ‘fair’ one, and indicated that an extension to Brexit beyond October 31 will not be needed, now that an agreement is on the table.

As the scene shifted from Brussels to Westminster, there were little indications of a major shift among the pro-Remain and pro-Leave MPs in various parties from their past positions. Debate on the agreement is due to begin on Friday and a vote held on Saturday.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: “From what we know, it seems the Prime Minister has negotiated an even worse deal than Theresa May’s, which was overwhelmingly rejected”.

“These proposals risk triggering a race to the bottom on rights and protections: putting food safety at risk, cutting environmental standards and workers’ rights, and opening up our NHS to a takeover by US private corporations.

“This sell-out deal won’t bring the country together and should be rejected. The best way to get Brexit sorted is to give the people the final say in a public vote.”