May’s last-ditch dash to Brussels

Final bid to sweeten Brexit deal for Eurosceptics

THERESA May is to make a last-ditch dash to Brussels on Saturday in an attempt to secure fresh concessions to sweeten her Brexit deal for Eurosceptic MPs.

The Prime Minister emerged empty-handed from talks with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker last night that were supposed to lock down the deal before a special summit of EU leaders on Sunday.

No 10 sources said Mrs May believed she was ‘close to a breakthrough’.

But the delay threatens to derail the entire process, with Germany warning yesterday that Chancellor Angela Merkel will pull the plug unless Britain, France, Spain and other countries end the last-minute horse-trading over the details. German sources said Mrs Merkel would not attend Sunday’s summit unless the deal is finalised within the next 24 hours.

It will fuel fears that Mrs May could face a repeat of the disastrous Salzburg summit in September when EU leaders threw out her Chequers proposals after initially indicating they would consider them.

Speaking after a two-hour meeting with Mr Juncker in Brussels last night, the Mrs May admitted there were ‘further issues that need resolution’. She is seeking a number of changes designed to make the deal more palatable to her own MPs.

Whitehall sources confirmed that Mrs May is seeking ‘new language’ to make it clear the UK cannot be trapped forever in the Irish ‘backstop’.

As the Brexit talks enter their final days, EU officials have been struggling to balance a string of conflicting demands.

EU Commission vice-presimittee dent Valdis Dombrovskis has said a final text must be agreed before a meeting tomorrow of EU diplomats who are due to brief their national governments before Sunday’s summit.

But Spain yesterday stepped up threats to vote down the deal unless it is altered to give Madrid a veto over Gibraltar’s future. France, meanwhile, is demanding guaranteed access to British fishing grounds.

At the same time, Mrs May is trying to secure fresh concessions to assuage concern from Brexiteers and get the deal through Parliament.

Three Tory MPs challenged the Prime Minister over the issue in the Commons yesterday, with environment com- chairman Neil Parish telling her the draft deal was ‘not good enough as it stands’. Mrs May insisted the Irish backstop was designed to be ‘temporary’ – if it was used at all – but sources confirmed she recognises the need to secure a clearer exit route out of it. One Cabinet minister said: ‘It is about giving MPs enough comfort so that they can say “the deal is not what I first thought it was”.’

The minister suggested that rather than redrafting the deal, appendices or explanatory notes could be added to make it more palatable. ‘There are lots of ways of changing something without changing something,’ the source said.

After last night’s talks in Brussels, Mrs May said: ‘We have made further progress. I now plan to return for further meetings, including with President Juncker, on Saturday to discuss how we can bring to a conclusion this process.’

An EU Commission spokesman said: ‘Good progress was made. Work is continuing.’

Germany’s ambassador Michael Clauss is said to have given EU member states 24 hours to reach a consensus.

He issued the warning at a meeting of member state ambassadors on Tuesday night where passions ran high over extra demands involving Gibraltar, fishing rights and trade in goods.

Insiders said he told them that Mrs Merkel will not travel to Brussels for Sunday’s summit unless an agreement is ready to sign.

‘It is about giving MPs comfort’