EU lawmaker: Risk of no-deal Brexit has grown

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The EU can offer Britain more assurances over the Irish border 'backstop' in a political declaration on post-Brexit ties if London moves towards accepting a permanent customs union, a leading EU lawmaker dealing with Brexit said.

Danuta Hubner spoke to Reuters as British Prime Minister Theresa May headed back to Brussels to demand the renegotiation of the legal withdrawal treaty she agreed with the EU but cannot get ratified at home.

May wants to replace the emergency Irish border fix with unspecified "alternative arrangements" to ensure no return of extensive border checks on the island of Ireland, something the EU says is vague and not enough of a guarantee.

"'Alternative arrangements'...relates to the future. What can be added or changed in the political declaration is to ensure some new arrangements that would solve the issue of a hard border," Hubner said on Wednesday evening.

Members of the Border Communities Against Brexit group write slogans on a mock border wall and customs checkpoint between Ireland and the UK as they hold an anti-Brexit protest on January 26, 2019, in Louth, Ireland. /VCG Photo

"Key to this is the conversation with Corbyn. Cross-party dialogue must yield some new elements for the future...The only thing we have not yet tried is a shift of the UK's red lines," she said of May's talks with opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Corbyn wants Britain to be in a permanent customs union with the EU after Brexit, something May has opposed so far as it would hinder Britain's ability to pursue independent trade deals around the world.

"If there is no openness on the UK side to include those assurances in the political declaration on the future EU-UK ties, the process could mechanically take us to no-deal."

Lawmakers back May's bid to rework Brexit deal. The political declaration is a non-legally binding document that accompanies the legally binding withdrawal deal negotiated by the EU and May's government. The British parliament resoundingly rejected that deal two weeks ago and has told May to reopen negotiations with the EU on it.

Hubner said the EU would not blink on refusing to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement or replacing the backstop.

"A step further would risk undermining the single market. If the single market loses its integrity, it would be the end of the EU," she said. "It's not just about Ireland."

"The risk of no-deal Brexit has grown."

British FM: UK to formulate Irish border proposals 'in a few days'

Britain will take a few days to formulate proposals to put to the EU in an attempt to resolve the issue of Irish border arrangements after Brexit, UK Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt told BBC radio on Thursday.

Hunt said it was too early to say if an extension to the Brexit process would be required. Britain is due to leave on March 29.

"I think it is true that if we ended up approving a deal in the days before March 29 then we might need some extra time to pass critical legislation," said Hunt.

"But if we are able to make progress sooner then that might not be necessary."

The leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, told MPs on Thursday that parliament's planned February recess would be canceled so it could make progress on "key business." The government has also said it is looking at extending the hours during which parliament sits.

Asked about Hunt's comments, May's spokesman said: "The prime minister's position on this is unchanged: We will be leaving on March 29."

Source(s): Reuters