UK Foreign Minister Dominic Raab warned in a Reuters interview that it’s EU’s call on no-deal Brexit. And, it’s EU’s responsibility to take if that happens. He also reiterated that UK will leave at the end of October “preferably with a deal”. But, if “there’s no movement or flexibility from the EU side, then we’ll leave on what’s called WTO terms.”
Raab said, “If the position from the EU is that the withdrawal agreement can’t be changed – whether it’s add-ons or subtractions – full stop, which is their position today, then let’s face it, they will be taking the decision to see the UK leave on no-deal terms, and that’s a responsibility they will have to bear.”
He also reiterated the new government’s stance that “the backstop, certainly in its current form, is undemocratic and it’s something that will have to be removed.” The alternative is to move toward an “operational backstop” that ensured that “any checks that are done wouldn’t be at the border” but could be managed with “technology and goodwill and operational cooperation.”
