British PM agrees to compromise on Brexit issues
The Associated Press
LONDON — British Prime Minister Theresa May forged a compromise with senior members of her government Thursday, agreeing that any interim arrangement to maintain customs links with the European Union after the U.K. leaves the bloc would be expected to last until the end of 2021 at the latest.
The assurance came after Ms. May held a series of meetings with Brexit supporters in her Cabinet amid reports that David Davis, the minister leading negotiations with the EU, had threatened to resign because an earlier proposal could have forced Britain to follow the bloc’s trade rules indefinitely.
Underlying the debate is the goal of ensuring that the borderbetween Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland remains open, with no border posts or customs checks, after Brexit to protect economic links and peace on the island. The “backstop” customs arrangements under discussion Thursday would be implemented if Britain and the EU fail to agreeto a broader trade deal.
Ms. May’s proposal would align British trade rules with those of the EU until a permanent deal is worked out; the government said Thursday that it expects such an agreement to be in place “by the end of December 2021 at the latest.”
“There are a range of options for how a time limit could be delivered, which the U.K. will propose and discuss with the EU,” the government said in a document laying out its position.
Conservative lawmaker David Jones told the BBC before the document was released that much of Ms. May’s Conservative Party shared Mr. Davis’ concerns about open-ended arrangements.
“It would tie us effectively into the EU’s customs arrangement for an indefinite period,” he said. “It would be the Hotel California scenario — we’d have checked out but wewouldn’t have left.”
Ms. May’s Conservative government is divided between ministers favoring a “hard Brexit,” which would sever most ties with the EU andleave Britain free to strike its own trade deals around the world, and those who want to keep the U.K. closely aligned with the EU, Britain’s biggest tradingpartner.
The U.K.’s customs proposal was due to be given to the EU side Wednesday, but British negotiators held it back while Ms. May and Mr. Davis argued, officials said.
The issue rapidly became toxic, with Mr. Davis and his allies failing to quell speculation that he could quit over the row. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Trade Secretary Liam Fox and Michael Gove, the environment secretary, also objected to the plan.
Mr. Davis is the public face of Ms. May’s Brexit negotiating team and losing him would be a potentially disastrous blow for the prime minister’s strategy.