UK Prime Minister Theresa May is making a statement to MPs on the way forward on Brexit after her planned deal was rejected by MPs last week.
She hopes to win over Tory Brexiteer MPs and Northern Ireland’s DUP, by resolving their concerns over the “backstop” plan for the Irish border.
Last week, Mrs May said she would focus on cross-party talks to get a Brexit deal accepted by Parliament.
Downing Street insisted that cross-party talks were continuing.
The backstop is the “insurance policy” in the withdrawal deal, intended to ensure that whatever else happens, there will be no return to a visible border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic after the UK leaves the EU.
Both the UK and the EU believe that bringing back border checks could put the peace process at risk. But a way of avoiding those checks has yet to win over MPs.
The DUP, which keeps Mrs May’s minority government in power through a deal to support it in key votes, rejected her Brexit deal last Tuesday, but 24 hours later helped her see off a bid to oust her in a no confidence motion, saying it didn’t want a change of government, just a change of policy.
Mrs May held a conference call with her cabinet on Sunday. It is understood she wants to show the EU that MPs could back a deal without a backstop, in the hope of encouraging Brussels to soften its position.
Meanwhile BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg has suggested Mrs May may announce that fees will be waived for EU nationals who want to live in the UK after Brexit:
Norman Smith, BBC assistant political editor, said anyone waiting for a Plan B would be “stuck at the bus stop for an awfully long time”.
He said that reports over the weekend of the possibility of a bi-lateral agreement with the Irish Republic or a rewriting of the Good Friday Agreement had been “kiboshed” by both governments.
“It is back to the backstop and trying to find some sort of breakthrough,” he added.
Mrs May’s government agreed a withdrawal deal with the EU in November – covering topics such as the “divorce bill” and the Irish border – but it was rejected by MPs by a majority of 230 votes.
If Parliament doesn’t approve a withdrawal agreement, the UK is due to leave the EU on 29 March without a deal or transition period.
May expected to promise ‘she will consider how we might meet our obligations to the people of Northern Ireland and Ireland in a way that can command the greatest possible support in the House, and then take these conclusions of these discussions back to the EU’9410:23 – 21 Jan 2019Twitter Ads information and privacy161 people are talking about this
May on her feet in Commons shortly – she ‘ll say more work to do on backstop, but hearing also she might scrap the fee for EU nationals who want to stay after Brexit, and promise select committees and other parties a bigger role in second phase of the negotiations11110:22 – 21 Jan 2019Twitter Ads information and privacy153 people are talking about this
