Reuters reported, with unnamed sources, that the EU is considering ways to help UK Prime Minister Theresa May to secure support from the parliament for the Brexit agreement. The Irish backstop is the key issue in focus. It’s politically a solution to avoid a hard Irish border that is not intended to be triggered. Even if it’s triggered, the backstop would be temporary. However, legally, UK is not allowed to quit the backstop unilaterally. EU officials are said to be considering the reassurances needed. One resolution is a commitment by EU to have a UK-EU free trade agreement in place by the end of 2021. That would help avoid triggering the backstop.
Separately, there are rumors that UK and EU officials are discussing the possibility of extending the Article 50 withdrawal notice, if the Brexit deal cannot be approved by the parliament by March 29 Brexit date. But the Prime Minister office reiterated to Telegraph that “The PM has always said that we would be leaving the EU on 29 March 2019, and we would not extend Article 50.”
Debate on the Brexit agreement will resume in Commons this Wednesday. A meaningful vote is scheduled for Tuesday, January 15.
