The British prime minister, who compared the United Kingdom to the superhero Hulk, nevertheless reiterated his willingness to leave Europe at any cost on October 31, even without agreement.
Brexit is coming, but Boris Johnson's confidence is not weakening. The British Prime Minister claimed that "Huge progress" were under way to reach an agreement between the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom, in the newspaper Mail on Sunday Sunday, September 15th.
"When I got this function, everyone said that absolutely no change to the withdrawal agreement was possible (…). They (EU leaders) have come back and, as you know, a very, very good conversation is going on about how to deal with the problems of the Northern Irish border. Huge progress is under way »said the head of the government.
Both parties are stumbling over how to avoid the reestablishment of a physical border between Ireland, an EU member state, and the British province of Northern Ireland after Brexit. London rejects the solution known as the "safety net" (or "backstop"), essential in the eyes of Brussels, lack of credible alternative. It provides that the entire United Kingdom remains in a "Single customs territory" with the EU if a better solution is not found after a transitional period.
Meeting with Mr Juncker and Mr Barnier on Monday
"There will be a lot of work by October 17", date of the last EU summit before the exit of the United Kingdom from the Union, scheduled for 31 October. "But I'm going to this summit and I'm going to get an agreement, I'm really hopeful. And if we do not get agreement, well we'll be out on October 31 "added Johnson.
He had already ruled out demanding a three-month postponement of Brexit in Brussels – "Rather be dead at the bottom of a ditch! " – as required by a law passed last week by the British Parliament to prevent a departure from the EU without agreement. The nicknamed "BoJo" compared his country to the superhero Hulk: "The more Hulk gets angry, the more Hulk gets strong and he always escapes, even if he looks well tied up, and this is the case in this country. "
Not a convinced brexiter
Yet, according to former prime minister David Cameron (2010-2016), Boris Johnson is far from being a confident brexiter. In excerpts from his memoirs published Sunday in the Sunday Times, Mr Cameron accuses him of "Populism" and to defend Brexit solely for the sake of opportunism, in order to advance his political career.
In his work For the Record ("Memo"), Cameron, 52, reveals that Boris Johnson was in favor of holding a second referendum to endorse the terms of Brexit, an option he now categorically rejects. The British Prime Minister is scheduled to meet on Monday in Luxembourg with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Brexit EU Commissioner Michel Barnier.
