May finds Cabinet compromise on Brexit
■ PM unveils plans to temporarily align with EU Customs rules
London, June 7: Prime Minister Theresa May revealed plans on Thursday for Britain to temporarily align with EU customs rules after Brexit as a fallback option to resolve the Irish border problem, but only to 2021 in what was viewed as a compromise with eurosceptic ministers.
The so- called backstop proposal was published after last- minute wrangling over the wording with Brexit secretary David Davis, who was reported to have been considering resigning unless it included a time limit.
Brussels has proposed that Northern Ireland stay aligned with the EU until another way is found to avoid customs checks with the Republic of Ireland after Brexit.
London says this is unacceptable, offering instead a “temporary customs arrangement” for the whole of Britain that would “maintain the status quo for traders in respect of customs processes”.
Ms May hopes to resolve the border issue with a wider trade deal between the EU and Britain, but has agreed to the need for a plan B if this is delayed or Theresa May hopes to resolve the Irish border issue with a wider trade deal between the EU and Britain, but has agreed to the need for a plan B if this is delayed or does not happen
does not happen.
“The UK is clear that the temporary customs arrangement, should it be needed, should be time limited,” said the document.
“The UK expects the future arrangement to be in place by the end of December 2021 at the latest” — a year after the end of the post- Brexit transition period.
The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, welcomed the plan, saying on Twitter that it would be examined with three questions in mind. “Is it a workable solution to avoid a hard border? Does it respect the integrity of the SM/ CU ( single market / customs union)? Is it an all- weather backstop?” he said.
The Irish government -which is pressing for “substantial progress” on the issue by an EU summit later this month -- said it would consider the proposals. However, the European Parliament’s chief negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt, warned against trying to impose a time limit, saying: “A backstop that is temporary is not a backstop.”