Britain's Frost not seen offering new ideas on Brexit backstop

British Brexit negotiator David Frost is not expected to offer new ideas to replace the Irish backstop when he arrives in Brussels for talks with the European Union on Wednesday, British and European diplomats and officials said. The question of whether Prime Minister Boris Johnson has a new plan to reach a deal with the EU or is bluffing to run out the clock before an abrupt exit goes to the heart of the political crisis in London, where opponents of an exit with no deal have seized control of the parliamentary business to stop it.

British and EU sources both said there might be nothing of substance on offer during Frost's visit, but gave different reasons for why this would be the case. A British official said London was unwilling to put anything on the table for fear it would be swiftly shot down. Europeans, for their part, said they were skeptical whether Britain had any new proposals to offer at all.

Johnson demands the EU ditch the "backstop" provision of a deal reached with his predecessor Theresa May, which would require Britain to obey some EU rules until another mechanism can be found to keep the border on the island of Ireland open. The House of Commons defeated him on Tuesday in a bid to prevent him from taking Britain out of the EU without a divorce agreement on Oct.31. Johnson responded by announcing he would push for a snap election, possibly as soon as on Oct. 14.

Johnson says he wants a deal but needs a credible threat of a no-deal exit to force the Europeans to compromise at the last minute, during a summit of the bloc's leaders in mid-October, just a fortnight before Britain is due to leave. The bloc says the Irish backstop could be abandoned only if an alternative is found that would achieve the same ends, be legally sound and practically applicable straight away. It has put the onus on Johnson's cabinet to come up with alternatives.

The British official said London was expecting creativity and a joint endeavour from the bloc's side. The EU's executive Commission - which is negotiating Brexit for the 27 other member states - complained on Tuesday that Britain was procrastinating.

"That is because these semi-negotiations are a bluff. The British don't have alternative arrangements, they are playing for time," said one EU diplomat present at the Commission's closed-door briefing. A senior EU diplomat added: "The British position is strange. They have put precisely zero proposals on the table so how can they have any grounds for fearing they will be shot down other than the British themselves knowing that their likely proposals are inadequate."

BRACING FOR NO-DEAL

The Commission will also present on Wednesday its updated contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit, which would include making a natural disaster fund available to people, businesses, and countries weighing under ensuing disruptions.

Pending further approval, the measures would prolong some existing rules for cooperation between the bloc and Britain in transport and fisheries even after a no-deal Brexit. Plans could also be discussed for Britain to pay into the bloc's budget for some joint programs next year. "Even if not desired, the EU is ready for a no-deal," said the Commission spokeswoman, Mina Andreeva.

The bloc's skepticism that the latest round of talks with London could yield a breakthrough only deepened after Johnson also lost his wafer-thin majority on Tuesday. "There is little sense in negotiating with a government that has no parliamentary majority to pass through the house whatever could maybe be agreed," concluded a third EU diplomat.

British lawmakers hoping to avoid a no-deal exit are planning to require Johnson seek an extension until January if he cannot agree on a deal or win a vote backing no-deal. Despite French resistance, Brexit watchers in the EU's political hub Brussels generally expect the bloc would grant such a plea but stress the formal request would need to come from London - which Johnson has repeatedly vowed not to do.

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