Brexit: EU not open to renegotiating Northern Ireland backstop agreement despite May's plea
Fri Dec 14, 2018 10:37:am World
4.6K By Obiaks Blog
There will be no renegotiation of the Brexit deal already agreed on, the European Union has told British Prime Minister, Theresa May who is seeking legal assurances on the Irish backstop from the union in a bid to push through the deal in the House of Commons.
Mrs. May, who only scaled through a no-confidence vote on Wednesday, has been battling conservative MPs demanding changes to the backstop - aimed at preventing a hard border in Northern Ireland - by making it clear it could not last forever and Britain could unilaterally terminate the arrangement.
Critics of the Brexit deal say the backstop would tie Britain to EU rules indefinitely.
The Prime Minister told EU leaders - whom do not believe she has the political ability to get it through - the deal was "at risk" if MPs' concerns could not be addressed.
She urged them to work with her to "change the perception" of the controversial backstop plan.
European Council president Donald Tusk speaking after summit the backstop "an insurance policy," saying it would "apply temporarily unless and until it is superseded by a subsequent agreement that ensures that the hard border is avoided".
"Our UK friends need to say what they want, instead of asking us to say what we want, and so we would like within a few weeks our UK friends to set out their expectations for us, because this debate is sometimes nebulous and imprecise and I would like clarifications," he said.
Mrs. May, who only scaled through a no-confidence vote on Wednesday, has been battling conservative MPs demanding changes to the backstop - aimed at preventing a hard border in Northern Ireland - by making it clear it could not last forever and Britain could unilaterally terminate the arrangement.
Critics of the Brexit deal say the backstop would tie Britain to EU rules indefinitely.
The Prime Minister told EU leaders - whom do not believe she has the political ability to get it through - the deal was "at risk" if MPs' concerns could not be addressed.
She urged them to work with her to "change the perception" of the controversial backstop plan.
European Council president Donald Tusk speaking after summit the backstop "an insurance policy," saying it would "apply temporarily unless and until it is superseded by a subsequent agreement that ensures that the hard border is avoided".
"Our UK friends need to say what they want, instead of asking us to say what we want, and so we would like within a few weeks our UK friends to set out their expectations for us, because this debate is sometimes nebulous and imprecise and I would like clarifications," he said.
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