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Brexit Bulletin: Over a Lunch of Snails

Brexit Bulletin: Over a Lunch of Snails

Brexit is 45 days away.

(Bloomberg) --

Today in Brexit: Boris Johnson’s first significant talks with Jean-Claude Juncker could turn frosty, despite his optimistic rhetoric.

What’s Happening? U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his cabinet are sounding a more optimistic note on the likelihood of reaching a Brexit deal, even as the premier prepares to take a hard-line approach in his first face-to-face negotiations with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

The prime minister will fly to Luxembourg on Monday. Over a working lunch of snails, salmon and cheese, he will tell the outgoing president that he won’t ask for a Brexit delay if the negotiations are fruitless, and that he’ll also reject any extension to the deadline if one is offered by the EU’s other 27 leaders at a summit next month. Johnson promised in Monday’s Daily Telegraph that he’s determined to strike a deal, but he’s also signaled he’s ready to defy a new law designed to stop him forcing the U.K. out of the EU with no deal next month. 

Back in the U.K., two cabinet ministers reiterated Johnson’s desire for a deal on Sunday, and talked up his chances of achieving that aim. Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay told Sky News that there is a “landing zone” for an accord, before suggesting in a later radio interview that the U.K.’s transition period after leaving could be extended beyond 2020 to sort out the issues relating to the backstop. Meanwhile Home Secretary Priti Patel said Johnson is committed to getting a deal and the full machinery of government is focused on such a result. 

Still, not everyone is so optimistic. Juncker used a weekend radio interview to express doubt that Johnson will offer fresh and viable proposals on the Irish impasse. He added that the U.K. would risk “utter chaos” that will take years to fix if Britain’s leader proceeds with a threat to pull the nation out of the trade bloc without a deal in October.

David Cameron also slammed Johnson this weekend, accusing him of campaigning for Brexit not because he wanted to get Britain out of the European Union, but simply to further his career.  The comments came in Cameron’s new memoirs, in which he also criticized what he called the “liars” of the Leave campaign. The Times carries more extracts from the book today. 

Today’s Must-Reads

Brexit in Brief

Supreme Court | Johnson’s suspension of Parliament reaches the U.K.’s top judges this week, forcing them into the political arena on an issue that’s divided the courts and the country.

House-Price Pain| U.K. house prices declined in September, the first dip in prices for the time of year since 2010. “As we approach yet another Brexit deadline, there are signs that the increasing gnashing of teeth is causing some to hesitate,” said Miles Shipside, a director at Rightmove.

Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off | Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson said the party would cancel Brexit if the party wins the next election, telling the BBC that “if people put into government, as a majority government, the stop-Brexit party, then stopping Brexit is exactly what people will get.” Party members overwhelmingly backed the policy at their conference in Bournemouth on Sunday.

More Defections | Former Education Minister Sam Gyimah became the latest MP to join the Lib Dems on Saturday after his opposition to the government’s Brexit policy led to his ejection from the Tories.

BOE Stalemate | The Bank of England is set to keep interest rates on hold at its meeting next week — the last one scheduled before the Oct. 31 Brexit deadline. The Monetary Policy Committee is stuck, along with the rest of the country, waiting for the uncertainty to end.

Sterling Test | The pound’s best run against the euro since 2016 will face a serious test this week as Johnson heads for talks with the EU, Bloomberg’s Anooja Debnath reports. The currency was down in early trading on Monday at $1.2465.

Brexit Bulletin: Over a Lunch of Snails

Going Green | Johnson added another bizarre entry to the long list of strange Brexit comparisons this weekend, using an interview with the Mail on Sunday to promise the U.K. will break out of its “manacles” like the comic-book character the Incredible Hulk. “The madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets,” the prime minister said, in comments that drew the ire of the actor who plays the superhero on the big screen.

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To contact the editor responsible for this story: Emma Ross-Thomas at erossthomas@bloomberg.net, Leila Taha

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