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1/ A few of us caught up with Labour MPs Stephen Kinnock and Caroline Flint yesterday evening after they met Michel Barnier. They said the EU chief negotiator was 'on good form' and full of questions about their 'MPs for a deal' group. Here's a summary of what they had to say:
2/ Barnier asked them about parliamentary arithmetic and what pressure their grouping can bring to bear on the two main parties. They told him about 20-30 Labour MPs are now ready to vote for a deal. Barnier also asked about the implications of the Benn act for another extension.
3/ Instructively, they said that it was Barnier who suggested holding the meeting with them. Some EU officials have privately expressed regret that Brussels has neglected contacts with moderate pro-deal MPs at the expense of talking largely to the main party leaderships.
4/ Flint: 'He asked us about the group. He asked us about what was the state of play was in the UK. He was obviously interested in what was happening in Parliament, discussion around any extensions and what might happen and legislation that was passed a short while ago...
5/ ...Most of our discussion was really about, probably more than ever before over the last 3 years there’s a real sense there’s a number of parliamentarians, cross-party, to try and get a deal before October 31 and that’s why this group has been formed...
6/ ...And in terms of that what different pressure we can put on, from the Labour perspective, from the Conservatives as well, and Conservatives without the whip as well, to get parties to really work towards that deal. That was part of what he was interested in.'
7/ The pair spoke to him about the backstop and pointed out most Labour MPs have no problem with it, and 'there are a lot of Conservative MPs who would be prepared to vote for either a UK-wide backstop or a Northern Ireland-only backstop because the number one priority is peace'.
8/ Kinnock said the reason Labour MPs 'predominately voted against the deal was around concerns on the future relationship'. Said cross-party talks with May delivered 'a package of excellent concessions we should have jumped at. It was a tremendous mistake to have walked away.'
9/ Kinnock: 'That package is still there, the more we have will be helpful to Labour MPs, but we are absolutely clear with Barnier this Govt is not going to bring forward a carbon copy of what went before.' Barnier told them the EU is 'very flexible' on the Political Declaration.
10/ Kinnock says Barnier pointed out in reply that the Political Declaration is 'very much up for discussion...and there’s lots of flexibility for doing that during the transition period' which would crucially come after a General Election.
11/ Kinnock says Barnier 'also made it clear that he’s definitely not hung up on the language and the way in which absolute assurances are given that the backstop is not something the EU wants in perpetuity - it’s simply there in case a deal isn’t done in the transition period'.
12/ Kinnock: 'It’s clear political pressure for a deal is ramping up. The PM has 3 choices now – he can either break the law by not asking for an extension, or he can resign, or he can get a deal that gets us out of the EU. I’m assuming the third one is most palatable to him.'
13/ Flint says in terms of getting a deal, the fact the No 10 messenger has changed and May has gone is significant. She says Brexiteer MPs who supported Johnson will have to ask themselves 'what are they going to do about it when their chosen one manages to get towards a deal?'
14/ She also points out parliament is 'more fractured' now after defections. 'It’s about in the end trusting PM Johnson at his word that he wants to try and secure a deal, but also that there’s still a majority in parliament cross-party who would like to get a deal through.'
15/ Flint says the debate needs to move beyond 'hardline voices' on both sides for whom 'no deal was ever going to be good enough'. She says: 'We’re trying to say actually, and I think we better reflect the public on this, that people want us to try and find a way through this.'
16/ Kinnock: 'We made the point the more the debate has radicalised and polarised the closer you get to No Deal. We’ve been playing with fire for a very long time. We’re in a situation where we have to compromise. If we lose that ability it’s only the extremists who benefit.'
