Brexit: Boris Johnson says he has secured deal with EU but DUP says position remains same – live news

Here is the revised text of the political declaration (pdf). It runs to 27 pages.

And here is some comment on it from journalists and other commentators

From ITV’s Joel Hills

From Stuart Wood, a Labour peer and former EU adviser to Gordon Brown

From Sam Lowe from the Centre for European Reform

From MLex’s Matthew Holehouse

From Politics.co.uk’s Ian Dunt

This is from Sky’s Beth Rigby.

These are from my colleague Rajeev Syal, who was at the No 10 lobby briefing.

Q: What happens if the Northern Ireland assembly wants to stop accepting EU rules? And what is the solution on VAT?

On VAT, Barnier says an agreement was reached overnight. There was an issue with the need for consistency on VAT rates. A mechanism to ensure this was agreed. The EU system would apply in Northern Ireland. For businesses, it is logical to have consistency, as with the single market for goods.

On consent, he says the new protocol would be supported democratically. At the end of the transition period there would be a four-year period for the new arrangements to be in force. At the end of that the members of the Northern Ireland assembly would vote, on the basis of a simple majority, for the arrangement to continue for another four years. If there were a cross-community vote in favour, it would continue for eight years. If there were a vote to end the arrangements, there would be a two-year cooling off period.

He says this new approach has nothing to do with the old backstop. It sets up a system in Northern Ireland that is sustainable. It is linked to regular, democratic verification. There is ownership of this in Northern Ireland. We now must place our trust in the system, he says.

And that’s it. The press conference is over.

Q: The UK authorities will be able to apply their own tariffs, as long as there is no risk of goods entering the single market. How will that be established?

Barnier says there is a possibility that goods arriving from GB, or from a third country via GB, might not stay in the customs territory of NI. That risk exists. That is why both sides have come up with a mechanism to assess this risk. The assessment will be based on a number of criteria, overseen by a joint committee. What is the destination of the goods? Are they consumer goods or industrial goods? What is the value of the goods? What is the risk of an infringement?

Q: What was key turning point in the last week?

Barnier says the taoiseach had a special responsibility. The Irish government is a co-guarantor of the Good Friday agreement. He met Boris Johnson in Liverpool. And after that meeting the UK and the EU were able to make headway. They agreed there would be no customs checks in Ireland or Northern Ireland.

He says this new solution must be sustainable.

Q: If this does not get through parliament, is this as far as the EU goes?

Barnier says that is a hypothetical question.

He says Boris Johnson thinks it will pass.

He says he has always avoided talking on the basis of emotion and passion. He works on the basis of fact and objectivity. He has looked for practical solutions to the problems posed by Brexit.

He says in Northern Ireland a joint committee will have a mandate.

This is a balanced agreement, he says. He says it is “the best possible one”.

The backstop has been replaced with a new approach.

This justifies the consent procedure, he says.

He says this is a dynamic compromise between the UK and the EU.

Q: Did you get an assurance that Johnson would get a majority for this?

Barnier says, when Boris Johnson spoke to Jean-Claude Juncker this morning, he presumes Johnson had faith in his ability to get a majority. He has said he has confidence in his ability to win the vote.

• Boris Johnson has said he is confident he can get his deal through parliament, says Barnier.

Q: MPs have voted against a deal three times. Has Boris Johnson assured you he can get this through?

Barnier says he has some experience here. That is why is is being “cautious”.

The House of Commons will have to take its decision.

Barnier says he was an MP. He knows what it means to be a parliamentarian.

He says the agreement is “fair and reasonable”, to use Boris Johnson’s words. (See 10.36am.)

He says has never wanted to give a commentary on British political debate.

Q: Can the deal be ratified at this summit? Or will there need to be another one?

Barnier says there will be “no ratification at the council” today.

The council will be able to give a favourable opinion on the recommendation, and on the draft agreement. It is a draft, he stresses.

He says the council has to formally agree the agreement after the European parliament has ratified it.

He says there should be “no surprises” here.

He says he has done what he has done to ensure member states are well informed.

He says he believes it can be ratified by 31 October.

Barnier says the text of the agreement is now available.

It is here (pdf) – all 64 pages of it. These are the revisions to the withdrawal agreement. The rest of the agreement as negotiated by Theresa May still stands.

Barnier switches to speaking in English (he was speaking in French) and turns to the one aspect of the agreement the UK wanted to reopen – the backstop.

He says the EU wanted to keep the border open, preserve the all-island economy and protect the integrity of the single market.

And it was important for Boris Johnson to keep NI in the UK customs territory.

He says the talks have “at times been difficult”.

But they have a deal, with four parts.

First, EU regulations will apply to all goods in Northern Ireland. This means checks at the border.

Second, NI will remain in the UK’s customs territory. It will therefore benefit from UK trade policy. But it will remain an entry point into the single market. So UK authorities will apply UK tariffs to countries coming from third countries as long as goods entering NI are not at risk of entering the single market. If they are at risk of entering the single market, EU tariffs will apply.

Third, on VAT, the plan will maintain the integrity of the single market, while respecting the UK’s digital wishes.

And, fourth, there will be a consent mechanism. Four years after the arrangements starts, the Northern Ireland assembly will decide by a simple majority if these arrangements stay.

• Barnier confirms that the DUP will lose its veto on whether the new arrangements come into force. Under the plan proposed by Boris Johnson earlier this month, the new plan for NI would only have taken affect subject to a vote in the assembly – which the DUP would have been able to veto.

Barnier says the transition will last until the end of 2020. But it could last another year or two years, if there is joint agreement.

Barnier says citizens have always been, and will remain, the EU’s priority.

Uncertainty for them has been going on for too long, he says.

There is also certainty for groups getting funding from the EU budget. That is because financial commitments made by the EU28 will be honoured by the EU28.

He says there is more certainty for businesses.

Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, is holding a press conference now.

He says the EU has built its position together.

The agreement has been agreed. Boris Johnson will present it to the EU27 later at the summit.

He says the text should provide “legal certainty”, especially for citizens.

The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has issued this statement about the UK-EU Brexit deal. He said:

From what we know, it seems the prime minister has negotiated an even worse deal than Theresa May’s, which was overwhelmingly rejected.

These proposals risk triggering a race to the bottom on rights and protections: putting food safety at risk, cutting environmental standards and workers’ rights, and opening up our NHS to a takeover by US private corporations.

This sell-out deal won’t bring the country together and should be rejected. The best way to get Brexit sorted is to give the people the final say in a public vote.

This is from my colleague Jennifer Rankin in Brussels.

From the Times’ Steven Swinford