EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier told the commission on Wednesday that the proposals would be carefully studied and there was no question of rejecting them out of hand. But scepticism over the proposals has fuelled conviction in Brussels of the likelihood of no deal before the European Council summit on the 17th, and the likelihood that we are heading for a third UK extension. How we get there, through the legal and political quagmire of the polarised Commons, is unclear. It is understood that the UK government feels it has done enough to satisfy the DUP, although the proposals will mean regulatory checks on all goods, animals and food crossing from the rest of the UK into Northern Ireland. The benefits of participating fully in the UK customs union could be seen as outweighing the inconveniences to east-west trade, one source suggested.

Source: The Irish Times October 02, 2019 18:33 UTC