Brexit hurdles remain

THERESA MAY: PM AND CABINET NOT SEEING EYE TO EYE ON FINER DETAILS

Despite all, the UK finance secretary says talks with EU have become positive.

London

British Prime Minister Theresa May was struggling yesterday to find consensus on Brexit proposals that would be acceptable to her ministers, her Conservative Party and the Northern Irish lawmakers who prop up her minority government.

Brexit negotiations with the European Union (EU) have accelerated and become more positive over the past week, though significant hurdles remain, Finance Secretary Philip Hammond said.

“What has happened over the last week, 10 days, is that there has been a measurable change in pace,” Hammond told the BBC.

“But that shouldn’t conceal the fact that we still have some big differences left to resolve. So process is a lot more positive this week – substance still very challenging.”

With less than six months to go until the UK is due to leave the EU, May is seeking to rally support at home on the details of a divorce deal though it is unclear if she can win parliament’s approval for any agreement.

British and EU negotiators are making headway on the Irish border issue, the biggest hurdle to an overall agreement, and hope for a Brexit deal breakthrough on Monday, diplomats said.

The Irish border “backstop”, which seeks a way to avoid customs checks on the frontier between the British province of Northern Ireland and Ireland if there is no overall exit deal, has become the biggest sticking point in negotiations. As both sides seek to clinch a deal, the UK yesterday was expected to publish more of its so-called technical notices which lay out the impact of a no-deal Brexit on specific sectors of the economy. May’s Northern Irish supporters vehemently oppose any checks between the province and mainland Britain after Brexit.

The head of the Democratic Unionist Party, Arlene Foster, said May “could not in good conscience” back an EU proposal for checks on goods being imported to Northern Ireland from Britain after Brexit.

Under May’s proposals, the whole of the United Kingdom would forge a customs partnership with the EU after a transition period ends in December 2020 in the event of the backstop being triggered.

Some of May’s ministers have urged her to put a time limit on that plan.

The Times newspaper said May was warned the issue was so serious that she could face further cabinet resignations unless she found a way to ensure the backstop was not permanent.

Speaking to Northern Ireland journalists at her Downing Street office, May said yesterday that talks on the Irish backstop were likely to continue until next month. – Reuters

In the last week, there has been a measurable change.