Boris Johnson, UK prime minister, and Leo Varadkar, Irish taoiseach, have claimed they can see “a pathway to a deal” on Brexit, after surprisingly upbeat private talks at a hotel in north-west England.
The joint communique said that the two leaders had held a “detailed and constructive discussion” on Thursday and that they both agreed “that a deal is in everyone’s interest”.
The meeting has left the door open for further Brexit negotiations ahead of a European Council meeting next week, but there remain serious obstacles to be overcome in a very limited time.
The optimistic tone of the communique may also reflect the determination of both sides to avoid the blame for any breakdown of Brexit talks.
Mr Varadkar will travel to Brussels on Friday to meet Michel Barnier, EU chief negotiator, to discuss the prospects for progress. Mr Barnier will also meet Stephen Barclay, UK Brexit secretary.
The pound rose sharply following the statement and was 0.7 per cent higher on the day against the US dollar at $1.2285 in late afternoon trading.
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The joint statement said that the discussions between Mr Johnson and Mr Varadkar “concentrated on the challenges of customs and consent”; they agreed to reflect further on their discussions and that officials would engage “intensively” on them.
The customs question is by far the biggest obstacle to a deal, with the EU insisting that Northern Ireland must remain inside the EU customs union and Mr Johnson adamant it must remain part of the UK customs area.
The joint statement gave no indication as to where common ground might be found between the two sides on customs. Ireland insists there can be no customs border between the two jurisdictions on the island.
Mr Johnson held the talks with Mr Varadkar at a venue on the Wirral, chosen as a “neutral venue” between London and Dublin and close to Liverpool, a city noted for its strong Irish heritage.
The prime minister’s allies said he was not attending the talks “with a piece of paper” containing new proposals to break the Brexit deadlock and there were low expectations around the meeting on both sides of the Irish Sea.
Downing Street tried to keep the venue for the meeting secret in the hope of creating a low-key, convivial atmosphere. “It was a case of having the two leaders in the same room to see if they could see any way forward,” said one Number 10 insider.
Mr Varadkar was expected to brief journalists in more detail on the discussions on Thursday afternoon.
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