Defiant May’s not for turning
÷Tory truce at risk as PM vows she WON’T bin the Irish backstop ÷Rudd tells her to warn public about dangers of a No Deal
THERESA May risked fracturing the fragile Tory Brexit truce last night, after admitting she is not planning to scrap the controversial Irish backstop.
The Prime Minister will fly to Brussels tomorrow in a bid to secure concessions that can salvage her Brexit deal ahead of a series of crunch Commons votes next week.
Speaking during a visit to Belfast yesterday, Mrs May appeared to limit her ambitions on the hated backstop, suggesting she wanted to see it made temporary, not removed altogether.
Mrs May’s hopes for a deal received a boost yesterday, after both Angela Merkel and Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar suggested that growing concern about the prospect of a No Deal Brexit could produce concessions.
Downing Street yesterday insisted Mrs May was still deliberating between three options for tackling Tory concern about the backstop, which critics fear could lock the UK into the customs union against its will.
These include plans being drawn up by Attorney General Geoffrey Cox to either time-limit the backstop or give the UK a unilateral exit clause. No 10 said ministers were also seriously considering the so-called ‘Malthouse Compromise’ – a plan by Tory MPs to remove the backstop and use modern technology to obviate the need for a hard border on the island of Ireland.
But Mrs May yesterday told an audience of business leaders that she was focused on limiting the backstop rather than scrapping it. Asked why people in Northern Ireland should support a Brexit deal without a backstop, she replied: ‘I’m not proposing to persuade people to accept a deal that does not contain that insurance policy for the future.
‘What Parliament has said is that they believe there should be changes made to the backstop.
‘There are a number of ways to do it. Looking at alternative arrangements, discussing with MPs who put forward proposals on that, looking at the legal changes that will be necessary to give the legal certainty. But the commitment to no hard border absolutely remains.’
Tory Eurosceptics last night pointed out that the party had unified last week around a proposal put forward by Sir Graham Brady calling for the backstop to be ‘replaced’. One source on the European Research Group of MPs said of Mrs May’s comments: ‘Even if she doesn’t mean what she said, we still do.’ The warning came as:
Mrs May used a Cabinet discussion to warn ministers against suggesting that Article 50 might be delayed;
Amber Rudd led Cabinet calls for the Government to go public on the potential dangers of a No Deal Brexit;
Jeremy Corbyn faced a backlash from Labour Remainers after footage emerged of him attacking the EU as a ‘military Frankenstein’;
Details emerged of a secret plan to slash tariffs and business taxes to boost the economy if Britain leaves the EU without a deal next month.
Yesterday’s Cabinet discussions were dominated by warnings about No Deal. A source said Miss Rudd called for private warnings about the potential impact on security should be made public, adding: ‘We are negotiating with our own MPs and if they see how dangerous No Deal would be, they may actually vote for the Withdrawal Agreement.’ Mrs May will travel to Brussels tomorrow for the first time since her Brexit deal was defeated by a record 230 votes in the Commons last month.
She is expected to hold separate talks with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council president Donald Tusk and the European Parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt. Downing Street declined to say which of the backstop options Mrs May is favouring – or even whether she will decide which option to pursue before she departs for Brussels.
In the Irish parliament, Mr Varadkar, who is due to meet Mr Juncker today, said there was a ‘growing desire’ among EU leaders to ensure the UK does not leave without a deal next month. And speaking during a visit to Japan, Mrs Merkel insisted ‘there is still time’ to find a solution to the Brexit impasse.
‘There is still time’