European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who is set to leave this post on the Brexit deadline - 31 October, has noted that he is open to replacing the contentious Irish backstop plans with another tool if it helps lead to an agreement on the EU-UK divorce deal and avoid a hard Brexit scenario, which he branded "catastrophic”.
"I don't have an erotic relation to the backstop. If the results are there, I don't care about the instrument. If the objectives are met, all of them, then we don't need the backstop”, the European political veteran said, going on to explain in an interview with the British broadcaster Sky that he was "doing everything" to reach an organised agreement by 31 October and stop the UK from crashing out of the union.
EC President @JunckerEU said he thinks a #Brexit deal can be reached by 31 October.
— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 19, 2019
Speaking exclusively to @RidgeOnSunday, he also warned that a no-deal #Brexit would be "catastrophic" for Britain and for the EU.
Check out the full interview on #Ridge from 8.30am this Sunday. pic.twitter.com/8ahZ6X8l4K
While some rejoiced over his positivity towards the outcome of the ongoing Brexit thriller, with the pound sterling rising by 0.2 percent to $1.2545 by 10:30 a.m. on 20 September - reaching its highest point since 15 July, many netizens were eager to discuss the peculiar nature of his relations with the backstop.
Well, Googling for "Erotic" and "backstop" didn't go as planned. That's the afternoon wasted. pic.twitter.com/v52qWieFRe
— Ian Collins (@iancollinsuk) September 19, 2019
Does anyone actually have an ‘erotic attachment’ to the backstop? 😂 @JunckerEU #Brexit #FBPE
— Steve Goddard #FBPE 🇪🇺 (@nothing6) September 20, 2019
Juncker talking about not having an ‘erotic relationship’ with the backstop.
— Rupert Lowe (@RupertLowe10) September 20, 2019
Watch this video and tell me it’s reasonable he’s been in charge of the European Commission for five years?
Did you vote him in?
EU democracy ladies and gents...
pic.twitter.com/wTfHAARsOi
Erotic relation - backstop - spaffed up the wall ...
— STSIMON #WTF #STFU #FFS (@STSIMON95984452) September 20, 2019
Somehow I think politicians have got other things on their mind then politics! https://t.co/wzuLCtvt8R
Juncker "I don't have erotic relation to backstop".
— James Neill, Esq. 🔶🇪🇺🇮🇪🇬🇧🌎⚠️ (@jneill) September 19, 2019
That's not a headline I ever expected to see...#RemainsTheAnswer pic.twitter.com/lL0YFh3pzc
Others were more concerned at how the Irish leadership would feel about this coming-out.
JC Juncker: " I don't have an erotic relationship with the backstop" Has anyone told @LeoVaradkar and @simoncoveney the good news? https://t.co/EvItWm75FS
— Francis Johnson (@franjohnson_ie) September 20, 2019
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney has already cooled down the glee, however, saying that although the “mood music” had improved, there is “quite a wide gap” remaining between the two negotiating positions. He told the BBC that there were still "serious problems" over how to handle the issue of the Irish border, saying that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had not come up with any realistic alternative to the "backstop".
Meanwhile, Johnson, who overtook the steering wheel to lead the UK out of the EU from Theresa May after she failed to get the Parliament to agree on her deal, says that he is working hard to get an agreement, but that the EU claims Britain has not produced any concrete proposals.
