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Ireland can't give UK power to end Brexit backstop, says Varadkar Ireland cannot let UK decide Brexit backstop end, says Varadkar
(35 minutes later)
Ireland’s prime minister told Theresa May in a hastily arranged phone call that he could not allow the UK to unilaterally decide when to terminate the Irish backstop, creating the possibility that Britain could be tied in a customs union with the EU for the long term. Ireland’s prime minister has told Theresa May in a hastily arranged phone call that he cannot allow the UK to unilaterally decide when to terminate the Irish backstop, creating the possibility that Britain could be tied in a customs union with the EU for the long term.
Leo Varadkar’s office released a statement after May called him on Monday morning, in which he said that while Ireland was open to the possibility of “a review mechanism” for the backstop, the UK could not solely determine how to use it. Leo Varadkar’s office released a statement after May called him on Monday morning in which he said while Ireland was open to the possibility of “a review mechanism” for the backstop, the UK could not solely determine how to use it.
“The prime minister raised the possibility of a review mechanism for the backstop,” a statement from the taoiseach’s office said. “The prime minister raised the possibility of a review mechanism for the backstop,” it said.
“The taoiseach indicated an openness to consider proposals for a review, provided that it was clear that the outcome of any such review could not involve a unilateral decision to end the backstop. He recalled the prior commitments made that the backstop must apply ‘unless and until’ alternative arrangements are agreed.” “The taoiseach [prime minister] indicated an openness to consider proposals for a review, provided that it was clear that the outcome of any such review could not involve a unilateral decision to end the backstop. He recalled the prior commitments made that the backstop must apply ‘unless and until’ alternative arrangements are agreed.”
May is under intense pressure from several members of her own cabinet to secure a mechanism by which any backstop agreements can be terminated by the UK. But Varadkar’s remarks indicate that there are limits to what the Irish, and by implication the European Union, will sign up to. Downing Street confirmed the call had taken place “to take stock of the progress being made in the negotiations”, and the two leaders discussed the outstanding issues in the Brexit talks.
The EU deems a backstop necessary to ensure that there is no return to a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland if the UK and the EU are unable to secure a long-term free trade deal after the end of the Brexit transition period, which is currently due to end in 2020. A No10 spokesman said the British and Irish leaders had agreed the backstop would “a temporary arrangement,” but May had emphasised that there would need to be “a mechanism through which the backstop could be brought to an end”.
The EU had wanted to impose a Northern Ireland-only backstop, in which the region would remain in the single market and customs union, but May wants Brussels to accept an alternative UK-wide customs backstop to avoid creating an invisible customs border in the Irish Sea. The UK statement did not refer to the Irish position that the mechanism could not involve a unilateral decision to end the backstop.
Earlier, No 10 had indicated that the backstop was the intense focus of the Brexit negotiations. The prime minister’s official spokesman said that “we are seeking a mechanism” by which the backstop would be ended, without giving any indication as to how that mechanism would be devised. May is under intense pressure from several members of her cabinet to secure a mechanism by which any backstop agreements can be time limited and able to be terminated by the UK.
The subject is at the heart of the Brexit negotiations, but Varadkar’s remarks indicate there are limits to what Ireland, and by implication the EU, will sign up to.
Cabinet members are due to discuss the status of the Brexit talks on Tuesday morning at their regular weekly meeting, but No 10 was earlier indicating that any update for senior members of the British government was not likely to be substantive because insufficient progress had been made.
The EU deems a backstop necessary to ensure there is no return to a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, if the UK and the EU are unable to secure a long-term free trade deal after the end of the Brexit transition period in 2020.
The EU had wanted to impose a Northern Ireland-only backstop, in which the region would remain in the single market and customs union, but May wants Brussels to accept an alternative UK-wide customs backstop, to avoid creating an invisible customs border in the Irish Sea.
EU officials believe there needs to be “decisive progress” by the weekend in the talks for Donald Tusk, the European council president, to be able to announce a summit for the end of November. Without such a development, sources suggested the only viable option would be to leave the deal until the leaders’ summit in Brussels on 13 December.
UK officials, however, suggested a summit could be a called with a week’s notice, and were indicating that they believed one could be held in the week beginning 26 November, just before May and other leaders fly out on 29 November for the G20 in Argentina.
There appears to be a softening on the EU side to an all-UK customs union replacing the Northern Ireland specific text, but that would require an acceptance by Downing Street that it would in effect be a permanent arrangement.
Earlier on Monday, the Irish deputy prime minister, Simon Coveney, tweeted: “The Irish position remains consistent and v clear⁩ that a ‘time-limited backstop’ or a backstop that could be ended by UK unilaterally would never be agreed to by IRE or EU. These ideas are not backstops at all + don’t deliver on previous UK commitments.”
The EU’s deputy chief Brexit negotiator, Sabine Weyand, retweeted Coveney, saying: “Still necessary to repeat this, it seems.”
A senior EU source said the UK prime minister would need determine whether she could sell an open-ended customs union to her party, but the calculation in Brussels was that it would be acceptable to the House of Commons as a whole.
“Theresa May came from ‘not in a customs union’ to being temporarily in a customs union. And perhaps there is a fudge so that she can say, ‘it is not for eternity’, and then we have enough guarantees so that it looks like an all-weather thing,” the source said.
BrexitBrexit
IrelandIreland
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland
European UnionEuropean Union
EuropeEurope
Foreign policyForeign policy
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