EU and U.K. Reach a Brexit Deal, But It Quickly Hits a Snag

Описание: Negotiators from the U.K. reached an agreement with officials in Brussels Thursday that could pave the way for Britain to finally break 46 years of ties with the European Union. But Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party said it still can’t support the deal.

That makes the parliamentary arithmetic a lot tighter for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who needs the backing of the House of Commons in a vote expected Saturday in order to deliver an orderly Brexit on October 31.

Three DUP officials said their party won’t support the deal, saying they were unhappy about customs checks in the Irish Sea, among other things. Johnson’s been defeated in a string of crucial votes since taking office in July and lost his majority in the chamber. Nevertheless, the prime minister announced the agreement with an upbeat tweet.

Appearing with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels hours after the deal was confirmed, Johnson called it “a reasonable, fair outcome that reflects the large amount of work undertaken by both sides.”

The U.K. would leave the EU “whole and entire” on Oct. 31, Johnson said, in a nod to the DUP’s concerns.

Juncker said “there’s no need for any kind of prolongation” to the deadline, adding that he was happy about the deal but “sad about Brexit.”

Without his Northern Irish allies, Johnson needs to pick up roughly 61 votes from a pool of about 75 deputies who might be persuaded to join him -- that will involve persuading hold-outs in his own party to side with him rather than the DUP. It’s the final, treacherous hurdle for the U.K. leader to clear before he can complete his ambition of leading Britain out of the EU.

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