Roundup: Mixed reaction to last-minute Brexit deal

LONDON, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- There was mixed reaction Friday to the deal struck between British Prime Minister Theresa May and the European Union (EU), which paved the way for Brexit talks to be taken to the next stage, with some praising the progress and some still expressing concerns.

Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney said the government was content by May's assurance that there would be no "hard border" between Ireland and its neighboring Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.

"Ireland supports Brexit negotiations moving to phase two now that we have secured assurances for all on the island of Ireland," he said.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said his government had no hidden agenda. "We want to build bridges, not borders," he said.

In Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), said the DUP supports May's Brexit deal after it secured substantial changes to the text addressing the Irish border issue.

Foster told Sky News that following the talks, there was clear confirmation that the "entirety of the UK" is leaving the EU, the single market and the customs union.

Nigel Farage, co-founder of the pro-Brexit UK Independence Party, told The Daily Telegraph he was not happy that the deal agreed that the European Court of Justice will be the ultimate arbiter of the rights of EU citizens living in the UK. "This is not acceptable," he said.

In Edinburgh, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the progress to the second phase of talks was good but "the devil is in the detail."

Warning that things will get really tough now, she said, "If Brexit is happening...staying in (the) single market and customs union is (the) only sensible option. And any special arrangements for Northern Ireland must be available to other UK nations."

The minority Liberal Democrats party, while conceding that May had got a deal, expressed scepticism about how long it would last before it was torn apart by her own members of parliament.

"It should be the British people and not Conservative Brexiteers and the DUP who get to decide if this deal is good enough," it said.

Brexit supporter and Environment Secretary Michael Gove said, "This is a remarkable deal that frees Britain from the constraints and the restraints that have held us back in the past."

In the world of industry and commerce, the early reaction was positive but guarded.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said more clarity was needed on the Brexit transition to stop companies proceeding with contingency. CBI President Paul Drechsler said companies had begun triggering plans months ago, but more detail could help suspend further action by firms.

"It's an important political milestone, but clarity on transition is the most important thing from a business point of view at this stage," Drechsler said in a radio interview.

Stephen Martin, director-general of the Institute of Directors, said companies urgently needed certainty about the future of EU staff in Britain.

Adam Marshall, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), on the other hand, said he was delighted there was now clarity and security for European employees working for British companies as well as British citizens living and working in the EU. They can plan their future with greater confidence, he said.

However, he added that businesses want answers on what leaving the EU will mean for regulation, customs, hiring, standards, tariffs and taxes.

The early morning breakthrough came after frantic all-night talks and negotiations between London, Belfast, Dublin and Brussels.

The deal also resolved the status of 3 million Europeans living in Britain and more than 1 million British people residing on mainland Europe. Enditem