May believes Brexit deal is ‘achievable’
We can’t let disagreement on Irish border derail prospects of a good deal: PM; EU says still time for pact; Brexit deal more likely in November or December: Irish PM
British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday she still believes a Brexit deal is “achievable,” despite talks with the European Union becoming deadlocked on the issue of the Irish border.
“We cannot let this disagreement derail the prospects of a good deal, and leave us with the ‘no deal’ outcome that no-one wants,” she told MPS in the House of Commons.
“I continue to believe that a negotiated deal is the best outcome for the UK and for the EU. I continue to believe that such a deal is achievable.”
She was speaking the day after her Brexit minister Dominic Raab visited Brussels but failed to make a breakthrough as hoped ahead of a crucial summit of EU leaders on Wednesday and Thursday.
May said both sides had made “real progress” on the terms of Britain’s divorce from the bloc and the outline plan for future trading relations.
May said the EU had agreed to “explore” her proposal to keep Britain aligned with the bloc’s customs rules until a wider trade deal could be agreed that resolved the need for frontier checks.
But Brussels had said there was not time to work out the details, she said, and proposed its own fall-back plan -- the “backstop” -- that would see only Northern Ireland align with EU rules.
“Even with the progress we have made, the EU still requires a ‘backstop to the backstop’, effectively an insurance policy for the insurance policy,” the prime minister said.
“And they want this to be the Northern Ireland-only solution that they had previously proposed.
“We have been clear that we cannot agree to anything that threatens the integrity of our United Kingdom.”
MAY also confirmed a disagreement over whether the backstop would be temporary -- Brussels wants no time limit, arguing that by its nature, the insurance policy must be permanent.
“If the EU were not to co-operate on our future relationship, we must be able to ensure that we cannot be kept in this backstop arrangement Indefinitely,” SHE SAID.
Meanwhile, frustrated European ministers on Monday insisted there was still time to reach a Brexit deal despite the latest failed round of divorce talks, but the EU warned it was stepping up preparations for failure.
Meeting in Luxembourg, foreign ministers from the bloc’s 28 members admitted that no agreement will be struck this week at an EU leaders’ summit that had earlier been billed as the “moment of truth”.
EU Brexit pointman Michel Barnier met his British counterpart Dominic Raab in Brussels on Sunday, but they failed to agree to a draft Brexit divorce arrangement, as EU leaders prepare to arrive on Wednesday for the summit.
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney, whose country would suffer the biggest economic impact after the United Kingdom from a “no-deal” Brexit, said the latest stumble was “frustrating and disappointing”.
And in Brussels, European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said the bloc’s own “no deal” preparations were being stepped up.
“While we are working hard for a deal, our preparedness and contingency work is continuing and intensifying,” Schinas said.
Separately, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Monday played down expectations of a Brexit deal being reached at an EU summit this week, saying an agreement was more likely in November or December.
“I know some people are optimistic about an agreement on the withdrawal agreement protocol this week. I have to say I always thought that was unlikely,” he told reporters.