Boris Johnson declares a Brexit agreement in place - 'We've got great new deal'

Thu, 17 Oct 2019

Boris Johnson has claimed a "great new deal" has been done with the EU on Brexit, just hours after the DUP appeared to scupper his chances of getting anything through parliament.

Mr Johnson has been negotiating with EU officials ahead of a crunch summit to work out the details of his new proposals for Brexit, including solutions to the Irish border problem.

Earlier this morning his plans looked in jeopardy as the Democratic Union Party (DUP) who he relies on in the House of Commons, said they would not be supporting the Prime Minister's offer.

But this did not dissuade Mr Johnson from continuing talks, and he announced he had a new deal to "get Brexit done".

He tweeted: "We've got a great new deal that takes back control - now Parliament should get Brexit done on Saturday so we can move on to other priorities like the cost of living, the NHS, violent crime and our environment."

But almost immediately the DUP said their earlier statement "still stands", meaning Mr Johnson has no guarantees he will pass his plan in parliament this weekend.

The DUP had said: "We have been involved in ongoing discussions with the government.

"As things stand, we could not support what is being suggested on customs and consent issues, and there is a lack of clarity on VAT.

"We will continue to work with the government to try and get a sensible deal that works for Northern Ireland and protects the economic and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom."

Sterling fell 0.5% to $1.2762 after the DUP statement, but news of a deal from the prime minister sent it back up 1%, to $1.29 dollars. It was up 0.5% against the Euro.

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