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WORLD NEWS Saturday 4 January 2020

Uncharted Brexit waters: UK's Boris Johnson faces 2020 tests

By GREGORY KATZ Ireland toward uniting with
Associated Press Ireland by keeping North-
LONDON (AP) — After a ern Ireland closely bound
remarkable political turn- to Ireland in trade terms
around, Prime Minister Bo- and imposing new paper-
ris Johnson is on the verge work that would slow trade
of taking Britain out of the between Northern Ireland
European Union with the and mainland Britain.
enthusiastic support of a Johnson also faces a Brexit-
strong majority in Parlia- fueled confrontation with
ment. Scottish First Minister Nicola
After suffering a string of Sturgeon that poses anoth-
parliamentary defeats over er threat to the U.K.'s unity.
Brexit — plus the ignominy Sturgeon and her Scottish
of being told by Britain's National Party are lobby-
Supreme Court that his sus- ing hard for a second inde-
pension of Parliament last pendence referendum on
year was unlawful —John- whether Scotland should
son cruised to victory in the remain in the U.K. or strike its
country's Dec. 12 election own path as an indepen-
and finally got his landmark dent country.
Brexit bill passed before Sturgeon argues that since
Christmas. Scottish voters rejected
Expectations for the com- In this file photo dated Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019, a British flag, right, and England's red cross, fly in Brexit in the 2016 refer-
ing year are high, fueled front of the Houses of Parliament in London. endum Scotland is being
by Johnson's upbeat ap- Associated Press "dragged out of the EU
proach. He promised in his against its will" and should
New Year's message that after the election that he ate impact of Britain's de- Britain might sever all EU be given the chance to
resolving the Brexit stale- called two years early. parture will be blunted be- ties without a new deal in opt for independence,
mate means Britain "can When Johnson's tenure at cause of a yearlong transi- place. Economists say such even though the prospect
start a new chapter in the 10 Downing Street began in tion period. There will still be a "no-deal" Brexit would was voted down in 2014.
history of our country, in July with a series of defeats unfettered trade between sabotage Britain's econo- Johnson's larger-than-
which we come together in Parliament, many ob- Britain and the EU and the my. expected margin of vic-
and move forward united, servers said he likely would free movement of people Most trade talks take much tory and his Conservatives'
unleashing the enormous have the shortest reign of throughout 2020. longer than one year to strong performance in tra-
potential of the British peo- any recent prime minister. He faces outright hostil- complete. These particular ditional working-class La-
ple." Instead, he has won a five- ity from Scotland's leader, negotiations are unusually bour Party strongholds in
He pledged to "work my year term and left the main whose region wanted to fraught because of uncer- northern and central Eng-
socks off" to unite the coun- opposition Labour Party in stay in the EU, and ques- tainty surrounding how land give him a chance
try. The message was pre- near-total disarray. tions about whether Brexit trade between Northern to consolidate power. The
recorded; Johnson spent With Parliament remade in may nudge U.K. member Ireland and Ireland will be Conservatives now have
the holiday on the Carib- his image, Johnson expects Northern Ireland closer to governed once the U.K. is 365 seats in the 650-seat
bean island of Mustique to split Britain off from the the Republic of Ireland and no longer part of the EU. Parliament to Labour's 202.
with girlfriend Carrie Sy- 27 other EU nations on Jan. threaten its status as part of There have been persis- It is not clear yet whether
monds. 31, becoming the first na- the U.K. tent warnings that impos- Johnson will navigate a shift
Johnson's predecessor, for- tion ever to leave the bloc. There is intense time pres- ing new trade barriers and to the center, patching to-
mer Prime Minister Theresa Then the truly difficult part sure on the EU trade talks, tariffs could jeopardize gether a deal that keeps
May, was stung by repeat- begins as Britain launches which must conclude by the gains brought about the EU trading relationship
ed rebukes from a hostile contentious trade talks that the end of 2020 unless both by Northern Ireland's 1998 as open as possible, or
Parliament. Johnson, how- will define its new relation- sides agree on an exten- Good Friday peace deal whether he will continue
ever, is in a much stron- ship with Europe, its key sion by the end of June. and rekindle the violence to court the Conservatives'
ger position with a healthy trading partner. That is an option Johnson there that has been largely hard-Brexit wing, which is
Conservative Party majority Momentous changes are has ruled out, raising once dormant for two decades. ready for an abrupt rupture
in the House of Commons coming, but the immedi- again the prospect that Brexit may nudge Northern with Europe. q