More relaxed Brexit deal is possible, if the British "move on the preconditions", Dutch PM says

A more relaxed Brexit deal than the Withdrawal Agreement the British House of Commons rejected may be possible, but only if the British are willing to "move on their preconditions", Prime Minister Mark Rutte said. European chief negotiator Michel Barnier also said that another deal is possible, provided London meets the EU halfway, NOS reports.

Rutte stressed that so far the British have set so many conditions that not much else is possible than the Brexit agreement the British MPs rejected. "But if you want to relax something on the deal, the British have to think again about the preconditions." According to the Prime Minister, this involves whether the British want to stay in a customs union and whether they will accept a border in the Irish sea, among other things.

When asked if there is a chance that the Brexit will be postponed, Rutte replied that only the British can ask for that to happen. But if they do, he expects that the EU will take a "good look" at it. If Britain wants a postponement, they must have a plan on how to solve this current impasse, he said. "Because if we keep turning around this in a circle for another few months, there will be no great enthusiasm for it."