Brexit Update: EU tells Britain to make more concessions if it want the deal

The European Union told British Prime Minister Boris Johnson he must make significant concessions if he wants to strike a last-minute Brexit deal.

As the clock ticks down to the Oct. 31 departure date, Brexit descended into a public row between London and Brussels this week as both sides position for another delay followed by an election in Britain or an acrimonious divorce.

After a Downing Street source said a Brexit deal was essentially impossible because German Chancellor Angela Merkel had made unacceptable demands, the EU accused Johnson of playing a “stupid blame game”.

The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said striking a Brexit deal ahead of Oct. 31 would be “very difficult” and the bloc could not accept Johnson’s proposals. He added that a deal was “still possible.”

“To put things frankly, we are not really in a position to be able to find agreement with the UK,” Barnier told the European Parliament. He said he would be available 24/7 in the coming days to try to strike a deal.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he was working for a Brexit deal, which he also said was still possible.

“I don’t accept this blame game that started in London. Personally, I don’t exclude a deal,” Juncker told the European Parliament’s plenary session.

“The risk of a no-deal remains real and basically is going to come down to a decision by the UK government, but will never be the choice — the preferred option — of the European Union.”

The European Union’s two most powerful leaders, Germany’s Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron, will meet at the Elysee Palace this Sunday ahead of an Oct. 17-18 EU summit, Macron’s office said.

“I’m still cautiously, cautiously optimistic,” Johnson said.

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