The “Backstop” is to stay in Brexit Deal – Barnier

The EU’s chief negotiator has said the Withdrawal Agreement, including the Irish backstop, was “the best deal possible” for the UK in the Brexit negotiations.

In an interview with RTÉ News, Barnier said they the agreement between the UK and Ireland, saying the EU negotiated as one team.

Mr Barnier said the focus was now on the future relationship and the Political Declaration which sketches that relationship.

Members of the EU27 have expressed their frustration with Theresa May while rejecting a game-changing renegotiation of the Irish backstop and calling for a convincing ‘plan B’ that could win round parliament to a Brexit deal.

Meanwhile The Guardian says that “in a shot across Theresa May’s bows, Peter Altmaier, Germany’s economics minister and a key ally of Angela Merkel, appeared to warn both Labour and the Conservatives against abandoning their cross-party talks.

“Sympathy, patience and readiness to wait until the UK’s position will be clarified are of utmost important to avoid the worst,” he tweeted. “They should not be misused for party politics. Large majority wants to exclude hard Brexit – in the interest of the UK and beyond.”

Arriving in Brussels for a meeting on Monday, EU27 foreign ministers expressed varying degrees of openness to making changes to the withdrawal agreement, but were sceptical of being able to offer anywhere near enough for May to secure the support of rebel MPs.

Earlier on media reports said they Poland’s foreign minister has said he is proposing limiting the Irish backstop to five years in order to unblock the Brexit deadlock.