No-deal Brexit now a 'very serious risk,' Irish official says

Fri, 05 Jun 2020

No-deal Brexit now a 'very serious risk,' Irish official says

News24
13 Jun 2019, 06:43 GMT+10

The prospect of the UK crashing out of the European Union in October is now a "very serious" risk, a senior Irish foreign ministry official said.

"Since March, there is an exhaustion with Brexit," Rory Montgomery, who has helped oversee Ireland's preparations for the UK's exit from the bloc, said at an event in Nicosia on Wednesday. "The British government need to ask for an extension and it's going to be difficult for a Conservative leader to do so."

Boris Johnson, front-runner to replace Theresa May as prime minister, said on Wednesday he doesn't want a no-deal Brexit but the UK must prepare for one as a negotiating tactic. Like most other contenders for the job, he is promising to demand concessions from the bloc on the backstop, the device designed to avoid the re-emergence of a hard border in Ireland.

Dialing down his earlier rhetoric, Johnson said he wants a "sensible, orderly" divorce, but stuck with his vow to leave the bloc on October 31.

Montgomery said he sees no sign that EU support for Ireland will fracture.

"There is a very strong sense that Ireland is a member state and the UK is leaving so I don't think they will throw us under the bus," he said.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to North Korea Times.

More Information

70 ℉

Fair in Statesville

International

Section

75% of consumers in UK, Australia and U.S. slam Chinese government

LONDON, UK - More than 75% of consumers in the UK, US and Australia blame the Chinese government for the ...

Proposed Israeli developments in east Jerusalem draw Palestinian ire

JERUSALEM - The only Palestinian industrial area in East Jerusalem is to be demolished, and the present occupiers of the ...

Texans players, coaches to attend George Floyd funeral if allowed

HOUSTON, Texas - Over 60,000 people showed up for a Houston protest and rally in the wake of George Floyd's ...

Pakistan's MQM asks U.S. to halt civilian and military aid to Pakistan

LONDON, UK - Altaf Hussain, the founder and leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), has appealed to the United ...

U.S. policing's darkest hour, a nightmare re-lived again and again

There is no need to wonder why George Floyd (age 46) was murdered in broad daylight in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on ...

Further U.S. hegemony could spark global nuclear arms race

With the U.S. deciding to walk out of the Open Skies agreement, the U.S. is signaling to the world that ...

Business

Section

Nationwide protests finally catch up with Wall Street

SYDNEY, Australia - Wall Street took a breather on Thursday following more than a week of protests across the U.S., ...

World food prices fall for fourth consecutive month

ROME, Italy - Global food commodity prices fell for the fourth consecutive month in May as the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic ...

Stocks in Tokyo, Sydney and Hong Kong advance, Shanghai flat

SYDNEY, Australia - Stocks in Asia advanced on Thursday but gains were limited, and not universal.China's Shanghai Composite finished flat.The ...

Long time Packers board member Peter Platten passes away

GREEN BAY, Wisconsin - Peter Platten, a former Green Bay Packers Executive Committee lead director and longtime member of the ...

Real contradition on U.S. call for unity at G7, says France

PARIS, France, June 3 (Xinhua) -- France will maintain its planned tax on digital services at the Organization for Economic ...

ASX leads Nikkei 225 and Hang Seng to strong gains, Shanghai lags

SYDNEY, Australia - Stocks in Asia made strident gains on Wednesday, although on the Chinese mainland the advance was limited.The ...

Movie Review

Dead Man