The EU ready to give Britain more guarantees that the Irish “backstop” is temporary
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Reuters reports that Michel Barnier, the chief Brexit negotiator for the European Union, said that Brussels is ready to give Britain more guarantees that the Irish “backstop” is temporary.
Barnier was quoted as saying this by Reuters from an interview with Germany’s Die Welt newspaper published on Saturday.
“We know that there are misgivings in Britain that the backstop could keep Britain forever connected to the EU,” said Michel Barnier but he insisted that “this is not the case. And we are ready to give further guarantees, assurances and clarifications that the backstop should only be temporary.”
The backstop, an arrangement designed to prevent the return of “hard” border infrastructure between EU member Ireland and British-ruled Northern Ireland if there is no trade deal after Brexit that makes it unnecessary, has become the main point of contention in the proposed Brexit deal.
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said last month that the key to securing a Brexit deal that the British government can get through parliament was to define the “temporary” nature of the Irish backstop more precisely.
Prime Minister Theresa May has said that, if British lawmakers once more reject her withdrawal agreement in a vote due to take place by March 12, they will get to vote on asking her to request that the EU delay Brexit.
