SO WILL THEY NOW EAT THEIR WORDS OF DOOM?

NOVEMBER 15, 2018

THERESA MAY, on the backstop in her deal: ‘There is no deal which delivers the Brexit the British people voted for which does not involve this insurance policy.’

DECEMBER 11, 2018

JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER tells the European Parliament: ‘There is no room whatsoever for renegotiation.’

JANUARY 15, 2019

IRISH GOVERNMENT STATEMENT, after Mrs May’s deal is rejected by MPs: ‘The Irish government recalls the clear position of the European Council... when it stated that the withdrawal agreement is not open for renegotiation.’

JANUARY 29, 2019

A spokesman for EU Council president DONALD TUSK: ‘The backstop is part of the withdrawal agreement, and the withdrawal agreement is not open for renegotiation.’

ALSO ON JANUARY 29

GUY VERHOFSTADT tells The Independent: ‘The European Parliament will not give its consent to a watered down withdrawal agreement. The deal we have is fair and cannot be renegotiated. The backstop... was crafted by the UK and the EU to secure the Good Friday Agreement.’

MAY 28, 2019

Before a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels, MR JUNCKER says: ‘I’ll have a short meeting with [Mrs] May, but I was crystal clear: There will be no renegotiation.’

JUNE 11, 2019

Irish leader LEO VARADKAR tells his parliament: ‘I am a little bit concerned some people in London think that because the Commons failed to ratify that [Theresa May’s] agreement that automatically means they are going to get a better one. That is a terrible political miscalculation.’

JUNE 21, 2019

MR JUNCKER says a new PM will not secure a renegotiation. ‘On Brexit there was nothing new... because we repeated [that] unanimously.’