THERESA May’s attempt to scrap the backstop has made a hard Brexit more likely, the European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has warned.
During his address to the European Parliament, the frustrated Juncker made clear that the Withdrawal Agreement “will not be renegotiated” and that the deal already signed off by the Tory leader and the EU, which was rejected in Parliament earlier this month, is all that’s on offer.
On Tuesday night, MPs voted by 317 to 301 to give May a mandate to go to Brussels and ask for a change to that deal, specifically replacing the Northern Ireland backstop “with alternative arrangements”.
The backstop – the safety net to guarantee that there is no hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland in the event of no deal, by effectively keeping the UK in the customs union, has long been hated by Brexiteers.
They dislike the permanence of the arrangement, which means the UK cannot leave without the permission of the EU.
READ MORE: How to win at politics ... vote against yourself
May is heading to Brussels today to seek changes. She has promised to bring back a revised deal on February 13, with a debate and vote to be held on February 14.
During yesterday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, a confident May told the Commons that the leaders of the European Union wanted a deal.
“What the House voted for ... was to leave the European Union with a deal, but it also crucially showed what it will take to see support in the House for a deal in the future.”
Juncker told MEPs that British Brexiteers were hoping the EU would “abandon the backstop – and so Ireland – at the last minute”. But this, he insisted, would not happen.
“This is not a game and neither is it a simple bilateral issue. It goes to the heart of what being a member of the EU means.
“Ireland’s border is Europe’s border and it is our union’s priority.”
He also said that while Brussels knows what the House of Commons is against, they still didn’t know what it was for.
“I will listen to her ideas, but I will also be extremely clear about the position of the EU,” he said. “Yesterday’s vote has further increased the risk of a disorderly exit of the UK. We have tried everything in our power to prepare for all scenarios, including the worst.”
Juncker told the European Parliament: “I’m still an optimist by nature and a believer in democratic institutions by conviction.
“This leads me to believe that there can and will be agreement with the UK so that we can move on and move forward together with our new partnership.”
Addressing the parliament in Dublin, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he still didn’t know what “alternative arrangements” were being proposed by the Tories.
“I don’t know what those alternative arrangements are,” the Taoiseach said.
“We’ve been down that track before and I don’t believe that such alternative arrangements exist.
Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay, during an interview on the BBC’s Today programme, was asked repeatedly to give details on the party’s replacement for the backstop.
Barclay said the UK was “exploring in terms of the use of technology ... looking at things like the time limit” to deal with the backstop. “There are a number of options,” he insisted.
The Prime Minister, pictured, also met with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn yesterday, to discuss the possibility of cross-party support for the Brexit deal.
A Labour spokesman said the 45-minute meeting between the two had been a “serious exchange of views”.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel