Theresa May hit the road in Europe today in a desperate fight to solve the Irish border backstop drama threatening her Brexit deal.
But the Prime Minister flew out of London knowing none of the critics on either side are prepared to back down - leaving her in a near impossible bind.
The backstop was invented to meet promises to keep open the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland if there is no comprehensive UK-EU trade deal.
If effectively keeps the UK in a customs union with the EU and Northern Ireland in both the customs union and single market. This means many EU laws will keep being imposed on the UK and there can be no new trade deals. It also means regulatory checks on some goods crossing the Irish Sea.
Theresa May hit the road in Europe today in a desperate fight to solve the Irish border backstop drama threatening her Brexit deal.
DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds warned today her deal was dead as soon as she signed up to the backstop.
And Tory Brexiteers are manoeuvring to remove her entirely for failing to negotiate hard enough to get rid of the mechansim.
But Brussels and Dublin say there will be no renegotiation of the divorce deal - with Jean-Claude Juncker insisting the backstop is 'necessary'.
Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom insisted today Mrs May could bring home an addendum to the deal setting out more detail on how the backstop should work.
Asked how the PM would square the circle, Mrs Leadsom told Today: 'That might include an addendum to the Withdrawal Agreement that sets out that Parliament will vote prior to going into a backstop, should that prove necessary, and potentially that the EU parliament and UK parliament must vote every year thereafter to provide that legitimacy for the UK to stay in the backstop, should that prove necessary.
'So there are plenty of options for the PM to talk to the EU about that don't involve reopening the Withdrawal Agreement, but that would provide the legal text as a part of the Withdrawal Agreement, through perhaps an addendum.'
Writing in the Telegraph today, Mr Dodds said the DUP had been clear for over a year what its position on the Irish border was.
The Prime Minister flew out of London to try and persuade European leaders including Angela Merkel (pictured with May today) to provide 'reassurances' on the Irish border backstop. But none of the critics on either side are prepared to back down - leaving her in a near impossible bind.
He said: 'We don't need more reassurances. No reassurance will prevent, as the Attorney General said, Great Britain being ''essentially treated as a third country by Northern Ireland for goods passing from GB into NI''.
'The Prime Minister should have known before the Withdrawal Agreement was signed that it would not work.
'Last December, we advised her not to sign up to the Joint Report, which contained a commitment to introduce backstop arrangements that could create barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.'
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker made clear there was no room for compromise ahead of his talks with Mrs May later.
He said: 'We have a common determination to do everything to be not in the situation one day to use that backstop.
'But we have to prepare: it’s necessary for the entire coherence of what we have agreed with Britain and it is necessary for Ireland.
'Ireland will never be left alone.'
The entire Brexit deal has been stalled over the so-called Irish border backstop in the divorce package. This is what it means:
What is the backstop?
The backstop was invented to meet promises to keep open the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland even if there is no comprehensive UK-EU trade deal.
The divorce deal says it will kick in automatically at the end of the Brexit transition if that deal is not in place.
If effectively keeps the UK in a customs union with the EU and Northern Ireland in both the customs union and single market.
This means many EU laws will keep being imposed on the UK and there can be no new trade deals. It also means regulatory checks on some goods crossing the Irish Sea, particularly agricultural products.
The idea first emerged in December 2017 in the outline divorce deal but few noticed at the time it had the power to derail the entire negotiation.
Why have Ireland and the EU demanded it?
Because Britain demanded to leave the EU customs union and single market, the EU said it needed guarantees people and goods circulating inside met EU rules.
There was also a demand to maintain the invisible border enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement that brought an end to the Troubles.
This is covered by the Brexit transition, which effectively maintains current rules, and can in theory be done in the comprehensive EU-UK trade deal.
But the EU said there had to be a backstop to cover what happens in any gap between transition and final deal.
Why do critics hate it?
Because Britain cannot decide when to leave the backstop.
Getting out - even if there is a trade deal - can only happen if both sides agree people and goods can freely cross the border.
Brexiteers fear the EU will unreasonably demand the backstop continues so EU law continues to apply in Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland MPs also hate the regulatory border in the Irish Sea, insisting it unreasonably carves up the United Kingdom.
What concessions did Britain get in negotiating it?
During the negotiations, Britain persuaded Brussels the backstop should apply to the whole UK and not just Northern Ireland. Importantly, this prevents a customs border down the Irish Sea - even if some goods still need to be checked.
The Government said this means Britain gets many of the benefits of EU membership after transition without all of the commitments - meaning Brussels will be eager to end the backstop.
It also got promises the EU will act in 'good faith' during the future trade talks and use its 'best endeavours' to finalise a deal - promises it says can be enforced in court.
How is exiting the backstop supposed to work?
The backstop contains two main exit routes - the creation of a full trade deal that protects and open border or the invention of 'alternative arrangements' that make it unnecessary.
In both cases, both the UK and EU must agree the backstop is redundant before it can be cancelled - with a tribunal system if there is no agreement.
Alternative arrangements could be a technology based solution that allows tracking of goods across the border with tags to ensure they do not go on into the wider EU market when they are not supposed to - but this does not exist yet.
What did the legal advice say about it?
Attorney General Geoffrey Cox said even with the EU promises, if a trade deal cannot be reached the backstop could last forever.
Mr Cox said this could happen if political talks simply break down, with no bad behaviour on either side - warning getting out was a political not a legal question.
This would leave Britain stuck in a Brexit limbo, living under EU rules it had no say in writing and no way to unilaterally end it.
Does it mean free movement will have to continue?
No. Britain and Ireland have operated a Common Travel Area since 1923, allowing citizens to move freely within the islands. The Brexit divorce deal makes clear this is an issue for the two countries and nothing to with Brexit.
People travelling across the Irish Sea do need a photo ID to board a plane or ferry but the rules in future will be the same as today.
Free movement will end as promised by the Government.
Did the people of Northern Ireland vote for Brexit?
No. 55.8 per cent voted Remain, more than the national average. The DUP were the only major party to support Brexit - with Sinn Fein, the Ulster Unionists, Alliance and Green Party all backing Remain.
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/12/11/mays-fight-to-solve-the-irish-border-problem-that-threatens-brexit/
Main photo article Theresa May hit the road in Europe today in a desperate fight to solve the Irish border backstop drama threatening her Brexit deal.
But the Prime Minister flew out of London knowing none of the critics on either side are prepared to back down – leaving her in a near impossible bind.
The...
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Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/12/11/14/7287872-0-image-a-5_1544538793636.jpg
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