The pound has moved lower this morning on reports of preparation for breakdown of talks between the UK and EU. The government haven’t denied this, and also haven’t denied claims that Boris Johnson “will do all sorts of things to scupper a delay” to the Brexit deadline. There have also been reports that Johnson’s alternative plan for the Irish backstop hasn’t been well received in Brussels.
Brexit uncertainties kept the pound low yesterday, after Boris Johnson held further phone calls with his EU counterparts. The Prime Minister said that the EU have not yet offered any specific criticism of his alternative backstop plan, and called his proposals “very fair” and “generous.” He added “we are ready to talk to the EU at pace to secure a deal.”
Meanwhile, Scotland’s Court of Session ruled against a request to force the Prime Minister to seek a Brexit delay, if a deal can’t be reached. They stated that the government had agreed to abide by the law, so there was no need for “coercive orders against it.”
Yesterday, opposition parties met to discuss their approach to Johnson’s new Brexit plans. However, there have been reports that they continue to disagree on vital matters. They had also originally planned to pass more emergency laws to prevent a no-deal Brexit, however, this has been put on hold for now.
Today, we’ll see the release of Labour Productivity figures for the UK.
