As The Guardian reports, the British prime minister is convinced the “fair and reasonable” agreement will be passed through the House of Commons, although CNN reports that with two opposition parties rejecting the deal, he’ll “face an extremely tough job” in getting the deal approved at home.
The BBC added that “Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the deal sounded ‘even worse’ than what was negotiated by the PM's predecessor, Theresa May, and ‘should be rejected’ by MPs.”
We’ve got a great new deal that takes back control — now Parliament should get Brexit done on Saturday so we can move on to other priorities like the cost of living, the NHS, violent crime and our environment #GetBrexitDone #TakeBackControl
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) October 17, 2019
EU Commission president Juncker called the deal “balanced” and further recommended the European Council endorse the agreement as well. In a letter written to the EU Council president Donald Tusk, Juncker wrote that, while he “deeply regret[s]” the 23 June 2016 referendum outcome, he “continue[s] to believe that the European Union is best served by an orderly and amicable withdrawal of the United Kingdom from our Union. Our hand should always remain outstretched as the United Kingdom will remain a key partner of the European Union in the future.”
Where there is a will, there is a #deal - we have one! It’s a fair and balanced agreement for the EU and the UK and it is testament to our commitment to find solutions. I recommend that #EUCO endorses this deal. pic.twitter.com/7AfKyCZ6k9
— Jean-Claude Juncker (@JunckerEU) October 17, 2019
With regards to the contentious Ireland/Northern Ireland issues, Juncker said negotiations focused on finding a “mutually satisfactory solution to address the specific cricumstances on the island of Ireland”, a sentiment echoed by EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier during a Thursday press conference. As The Guardian reports, “He says this new approach has nothing to do with the old backstop. It sets up a system in Northern Ireland that is sustainable.”
The revised withdrawal agreement can be read in its entirety here.