Additional reporting by Juno McEnroeA breakthrough Brexit “political declaration” creating an EU customs border in the Irish Sea was inching into sight last night as part of a potential deal which could finally end the long-running saga. After days of dwindling hopes of a last-minute Brexit deal since Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and British prime minister Boris Johnson met last Thursday, widespread speculation yesterday morning suggested a deal could not happen this week. The situation was underlined by the fact that Tánaiste Simon Coveney and the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, told reporters in Luxembourg there was a need to strike a deal by midnight last night. However, with officials saying they had “guarded optimism” about a possible breakthrough, hopes are growing about a deal still being struck this week or potentially during a short emergency EU summit before the October 31 Brexit deadline. In a statement after a 90- minute meeting with Mr Johnson, DUP leader Arlene Foster said: “We respect the fact negotiations are ongoing, therefore we cannot give a detailed commentary.

Source: Irish Examiner October 16, 2019 04:52 UTC