There appears to be no breakthrough on Brexit for now. Brexit Minister Stephen Barclay and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox met EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier yesterday. They had “productive meeting” and discussed the “positions of both ides”. And it’s agreed that “talks should now continue urgently at a technical level”. Cox will explore “legal options” with the commission’s team. The trio will discuss again next week.
UK is seeking legal binding assurance that the Irish border backstop would be temporary if triggered. It’s believed that once this issue is solved, especially with the endorsement of Cox, the Brexit deal would get through the Commons. However, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was “not very optimistic”. He noted that “in the British parliament every time they are voting, there is a majority against something, there is no majority in favor of something.”