Brexit Talks on Fast Track as Parliament Suspension Backlash Grows in UK

British Brexit negotiators will start meeting twice a week in September with their European Union counterparts to ensure the UK will not crash out of the bloc without a deal in just a few weeks' time, the British government said on Thursday.

The announcement comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson sparked outrage with his decision to suspend Parliament while promising to take Britain out of the EU on October 31, even without a transition agreement in place.

Johnson has demanded the current divorce deal be changed to remove the so-called Irish backstop, which outlines provisions on the Irish border.

"While I have been encouraged with my discussions with EU leaders over recent weeks that there is a willingness to talk about alternatives to the anti-democratic backstop, it is now time for both sides to step up the tempo," Johnson said.

Johnson's predecessor, Theresa May, had negotiated a deal with the EU, which was rejected three times in the House of Commons.

'Nothing credible' in backstop alternatives

The EU and many British lawmakers support the backstop as a way to avoid creating a hard border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, and the Republic of Ireland.

Also read | Brexit: Boris Johnson Seeks Suspension of Parliament Until October 14

Britain has said that technological alternatives to border checks could be in place in the event that future trade talks with the EU break down.

Johnson's government has not provided any details of its backstop alternative, prompting scepticism from the EU.

"We all want to get a deal but, at the moment, nothing credible has come from the UK government in terms of alternatives to the backstop," Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told reporters in Brussels on Friday.

Parliament suspension challenged in court 

As Johnson pushes forward with renegotiating the Brexit deal, the prime minister is facing mounting backlash over his move to prorogue Parliament with just weeks to go until the October 31 deadline.

Johnson's plans sparked protests as well as immediate legal challenges in courts in London, Edinburgh and Belfast.

An interim ruling on the case in Edinburgh is expected later on Friday.

Johnson's plan was widely criticized as "undemocratic" and seen as a way for the government to stop lawmakers from blocking a no-deal Brexit.

The British government has defended the move, saying it is simply a routine procedure and that it gives them more time to present their domestic agenda.

This article was originally published in DW.

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