Theresa May to take bid to reopen Brexit deal to Brussels
Theresa May is to travel to Brussels on Thursday for talks with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, as she seeks changes to the Brexit deal which was rejected by MPs last month.
The Prime Minister is expected to press the case for the Withdrawal Agreement to be reopened to replace the controversial backstop with alternative arrangements for avoiding a hard border in Ireland after Brexit.
It is her first formal meeting with senior EU officials since the deal which she reached with Mr Juncker in November went down to overwhelming defeat in the House of Commons and since MPs voted for the removal of the backstop.
On Tuesday, Mrs May will make a high-profile speech in Northern Ireland, where she will insist that she can secure a Commons majority for a Brexit deal that “commands broad support” in the province.
She will say that it is a “concerning time” but “we will find a way to deliver Brexit” that honours commitments to keep the border open.
On Wednesday Mrs May will hold talks with Northern Ireland’s political leaders including the DUP’s Arlene Foster, who has promised to tell the Prime Minister the proposed border backstop “drives a coach and horses through the Belfast Agreement’s principle of consent” and would effectively create a new border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
Meanwhile, former first minister Lord Trimble confirmed he is considering a legal challenge to the backstop over concerns it breaches the Good Friday Agreement.
Lord Trimble told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We are exploring this possibility and we are concerned at the way in which the Withdrawal Agreement that our Prime Minister agreed actually turns the Belfast Agreement on its head and does serious damage to it.”
Announcing Mrs May’s planned visit to Brussels, European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said: “As you know, what we have is a procedure involving a number of votes which have taken place in the UK Parliament
“On that basis, the Prime Minister will come along to spell out to us her ideas for what happens next.
“President Juncker has been in constant contact with her and will look forward to seeing her… to pursue these discussions.
“But we have to repeat what you are aware of, that is that the EU’s position, the Commission’s position, is clear that we are awaiting once again to see what the Prime Minister has to tell us.”
