Brexit Update – Withdrawal agreement within sight even though May says it won’t be done at any cost

An important cabinet meeting was held on Brexit and seems like the Brexit deal is close to be signed. The Guardian quotes sources close to the cabinet ministers who were given the impression that they could be summoned back to Number 10 for another meeting on Thursday, or possibly Friday, where they will be asked to agree the terms of the withdrawal agreement.

The British Prime Minister was reported saying that while 95% of the withdrawal agreement had been concluded, on the Northern Ireland backstop there are a number of issues that we still need to work through and these are the most difficult. This includes ensuring that, if the backstop is ever needed, it is not permanent and there’s a mechanism to ensure that the UK could not be held in the arrangement indefinitely.

The prime minister was also reported saying that she was confident of reaching a deal. She said that while the UK should aim to conclude the withdrawal agreement as soon as possible, this would “not be done at any cost”.

The prime minister said that, once agreement was reached on the withdrawal agreement, it would remain the case that nothing is agreed until everything agreed and it will be subject to securing an acceptable full future framework.

The Telegraph reported that “Theresa May told her cabinet that a withdrawal agreement would not be thrashed out, amid ongoing tensions over the Irish backstop, “at any cost”.

The Prime Minister issued this message at the start of a three-hour cabinet meeting, during which ministers discussed the “mechanism” for ensuring the Northern Ireland backstop  “could not be held” in the Northern Ireland backstop “indefinitely”,  her spokesman told reporters.

Dominic Raab, who horrified Dublin recently by pushing for the right for the United Kingdom to end the customs alignment unilaterally, struck a chipper note after the meeting, telling reporters: “Thumbs up”.

Downing Street indicated that the UK Government will be developing its own alternative proposal to the backstop to ensure it is not indefinite, but warned reporters that it will take time to finalise. “Don’t be under the illusion that there isn’t a lot of work to do”. 

Ministers will meet again “at the appropriate moment”  before the final deal is agreed, the spokesman added.”