Brexit's second stage of negotiations will resume via video conference

Brexit talks might be held on a virtual conference as has been suggested by the United Kingdom and the European Union in a joint statement, confirmed media reports. The second stage of the Brexit negotiations were due to be held in London next week, but was cancelled, due to the Coronavirus pandemic. 

The negotiators have now announced that the Brexit talks were postponed due to the global health emergency and are expected to resume, only not “in the form originally scheduled,” a UK agency reported. The discussions were scheduled to be conducted on March 18 in London, while the Withdrawal Agreement joint committee was scheduled to preside on March 30, to discuss the challenges of the implementation. And hence, alternative methods to resume negotiations have been pitched to overhaul any delays to the end of the year deadline. 

According to reports, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Europe adviser, David Frost, and the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier are among the trade negotiators. Michael, however, tested positive for the COVID-19 disease, as he officially announced it on social media. This has triggered concerns within Westminster as fear looms large of the malignant pathogen’s spread within UK government quarters. 

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No confidence motion 

Earlier, British Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit divorce deal was defeated by a crushing margin in parliament, an agency report confirmed, that further complicated the country's historic exit from the EU as a no-confidence motion against her government was triggered. May's bid to get the Withdrawal Agreement, struck between London and Brussels, through a House of Commons was defeated by a margin of 202 to 432, a majority of 230, the biggest defeat ever suffered by a British premier in modern history, the agency reported.  

David Lindington, reportedly declared that the government's new deadline for passing the Brexit deal was rescheduled to July 2. Meanwhile, Barnier was earlier quoted saying that he could not commit to anything, and since the negotiations are timetabled, following the timed schedule would be his and Britain’s negotiating teams' first priority. After the precipitation of events in Italy and elsewhere, he further added saying,  it was worth wondering whether the Brexit negotiations could be conducted in their current form. 

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