Boris Johnson says chances he can secure a Brexit deal are ‘touch and go’
The chances of Boris Johnson securing a Brexit deal with the EU are ‘touch and go’ he told reporters at the G7 Summit today.
The Prime Minister, who is holding talks with European Council president Donald Tusk in Biarritz, previously said the odds of a no-deal Brexit were ‘a million to one’.
If Britain fails to reach an agreement before the exit date of October 31, it will be the EU’s fault, he said.
Mr Johnson said he believed the chances of a deal were ‘improving’ following a round of diplomacy which has also seen meetings with Germany’s Angela Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron.
But he refused to repeat ‘million to one’ declaration.
He told the BBC: ‘It all depends on our EU friends and partners, I think in the last few days there has been a dawning realisation in Brussels and other European capital what the shape of the problem is for the UK.
‘I think it’s going to be touch and go but the important thing is to get ready to come out without a deal.’
In a series of broadcast interviews the PM confirmed that he would withhold the bulk of the £39 billion Brexit divorce bill in the event of no-deal.
He told Sky: ‘I think what the entire European Union understands is that if we come out without a deal that the £39 billion is not pledged.’
If there was a no-deal Brexit, he said he would ‘guarantee’ that people would still be able to get medicine and ‘I think it’s highly unlikely that there will be food shortages of any kind’.
Mr Johnson went for a swim in the Atlantic before his meetings at the G7 and told ITV: ‘I swam round that rock this morning. From here you cannot tell there is a gigantic hole in that rock. There is a way through.
‘My point to the EU is that there is a way through, but you can’t find the way through if you just sit on the beach.’
Before the summit, Mr Tusk urged Mr Johnson not to go down in history as ‘Mr No Deal’.
Earlier, Mr Johnson met with President Donald Trump with the hope of securing a post-Brexit trade deal with the US.
The president told reporters his British counterpart was the ‘right man’ to handle Brexit, firing a shot at previous PM Theresa May he had long supported Mr Johnson ‘s move to number 10.
Boris Johnson's plan for the G7 summit
What is the G7?
It is an informal club of rich nations that meets annually to discuss major issues. The members are: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Where is the summit happening?
This year France holds the rotating presidency of the G7, and the leaders’ summit will take place from Saturday to Monday in Biarritz.
What’s on the agenda?
In working sessions on Sunday and Monday, the leaders will discuss issues including the international economy, trade, tackling inequality, the environment and the challenges posed by the growth of new digital technology.
Anything else?
Plenty. Host Emmanuel Macron wants the leaders to consider the fires in the Amazon rainforest as an emergency issue.
Tensions over Iran’s actions in the Middle East and the protests in Hong Kong are also likely to feature in talks between leaders during the summit.
How does the Prime Minister’s schedule look?
Packed. The stand-out items in his diary are meetings with US President Donald Trump, where talks are likely to turn to a future trade deal, and European Council president Donald Tusk, which is likely to focus on the Prime Minister’s Brexit plan. Both those meetings take place on Sunday.
What’s likely to come up in the PM’s talks with Mr Trump?
Both sides are keen to talk about the prospect of a post-Brexit trade deal. US Ambassador in London Woody Johnson said the first meeting between the two leaders would start a “new era” for the UK-US relationship.
Is anyone else attending?
France has invited India, Chile, South Africa and Australia as important regional democracies, plus four African nations: Burkina Faso, Egypt, Senegal, and Rwanda.
What have critics said about the gathering?
Oxfam claimed the G7 was fuelling inequality and holding back efforts to beat poverty and called for higher taxes on the nations’ wealthiest citizens to fund measures to help the world’s poorest.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said G7 governments are ‘key drivers of global inequality’ and have a ‘major responsibility for the climate emergency, which should be brought sharply into focus by the terrible fires in the Amazon’.
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