Brexit: Hell to pay
EU chiefs deliver devastating rebuke of British Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans to renegotiate the backstop.
EUROPEAN chiefs have delivered a devastating series of rebukes of British Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans to renegotiate the backstop.
Ahead of Mrs May’s visit to Brussels today, all the key players joined forces with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to categorically rule out any changes to the deal which ensures no hard Border.
She has been pre-warned “the EU27 is not making any new offer”.
EU Council President Donald Tusk sparked outrage among Brexiteers by suggesting there is a “special place in
hell” reserved for them.
However, a day of strong rhetoric brought neither side any closer to resolving the impasse.
Mr Varadkar did secure some assurances that financial aid will be forthcoming from the EU if it’s not resolved but the size of a potential ‘Brexit bailout’ is far from clear.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the EU “stands ready to assist” Ireland, although he added that he does not envisage a no-deal scenario happening.
Asked by the Irish Independent what supports would be put in place, Mr Juncker vowed that farmers and businesses “will not be left alone” when it comes to discussing ways of mitigating the impact.
The focus now shifts back to the prime minister who will meet with the EU today before joining the Taoiseach for dinner in Dublin tomorrow evening.
Her arrival in the EU capital was already hotly anticipated even before Mr Tusk raised the political temperature considerably.
Irish officials insisted the direct meeting between the two leaders is not an attempt at bilateral talks. They said the discussion will centre on efforts to restore the Northern Ireland executive and protecting the Good Friday Agreement, while also assessing the latest Brexit developments.
Relations between Dublin and London have been extremely strained since Mrs May decided to back a House of Commons motion that effectively sought to dump the Irish backstop in favour of undefined ‘alternative arrangements’.
A spokesperson for Mrs May said yesterday that there would have to be changes to the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement if the EU wanted Britain to leave with a deal.
She was told in no uncertain terms that this was not an option during a series of press engagements involving Mr Varadkar, Mr Juncker and Mr Tusk yesterday.
The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier watched on from the sidelines as Mr Juncker told reporters: “Alternative arrangements can be put under mediation for the future, not for now. So-called alternative arrangements can never replace the backstop. We need the backstop, we need the Withdrawal Agreement.”
Guy Verhofstadt, who heads the European Parliament’s Brexit Steering Group, said “political uncertainty in the UK has reinforced to us why this insurance policy is required”.
Mr Tusk called on the prime
minister to bring “a realistic suggestion on how to end the impasse” with her to Brussels.
“The top priority for us remains the issue of the Border on the island of Ireland, and the guarantee to maintain the peace process in accordance with the Good Friday Agreement. We will not gamble with peace; or put a sell-by date on reconciliation.”
EU sources said his comments about a “special place in hell” for Brexiteers were a sign of an ever-growing frustration in Europe with the situation in London. Unsurprisingly, there was an instant backlash from some senior British politicians.
Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom, who backed Brexit, demanded an apology for the “pretty unacceptable and pretty disgraceful” commentary.
The DUP’s Sammy Wilson described the EU chief as a “devilish Euro maniac” who had “fanned the flames of fear in an attempt to try and overturn the result of the referendum”.