Yahoo News Brexit latest: Brussels says no further meetings on Northern Ireland backstop
Theresa May suffered a new blow today as the European Commission said it is not planning any more meetings on her demands to clarify the Northern Ireland backstop.
A spokesman in Brussels said the Brexit deal on the table would not be changed and went further by saying there were no more talks in the pipeline.
“The EU Council has given the clarifications that were possible at this stage so no further meetings with the UK are foreseen,” the spokesman said.
The statement came as Downing Street said officials were continuing to work to get the clarifications that the Prime Minister requested at a summit last week.
Mrs May was seeking a legally enforceable escape route from the backstop, which as it stands would require Northern Ireland to obey EU rules indefinitely until a new trade deal is reached to prevent a hard border.
There was more embarrassment this morning when the PM’s top adviser on Brexit, Olly Robbins, was photographed outside No 10 with documents relating to the negotiations clearly visible.
Greg Clark and Amber Rudd called on the Prime Minister to allow Parliament to choose how Britain leaves the European Union, or if it should at all.
Sources revealed Mrs May is ready to bring forward the Commons vote on the withdrawal agreement she struck with Brussels to early January.
Downing Street originally said the vote would be January 21 at the latest, but government sources later suggested January 14. The earliest it could be held is January 7, when the House comes back from its Christmas break. Mrs May postponed the vote, which was meant to take place last Tuesday, amid fierce criticism of the deal.
Business Secretary Mr Clark said on Sky News: “Now is the time to establish what would pass through Parliament so we can provide that certainty that’s needed.”
Work and Pensions Secretary Ms Rudd told reporters as she set off for work that she, like Mr Clark, gave Mrs May’s deal her “full support, but if it was vetoed by MPs there should be a series of votes on every option, including a second referendum”.
“We need to find out where the will of Parliament is,” said Ms Rudd. “Nothing should be off the table. We should consider all options.”
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Cabinet ministers pile pressure on May for early vote on Brexit deal
A third senior minister, Solicitor General Robert Buckland, came out for allowing the Commons to vote — which Mrs May has fiercely resisted. Yesterday, Education Secretary Damian Hinds and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox both voiced support for a parliamentary vote if Mrs May’s deal could not get through the Commons. The Prime Minister was due to strongly condemn calls for a second referendum in a statement this afternoon.
However, No 10 refused to rule out the idea of Parliament staging an indicative vote to reveal the levels of support for different Brexit options. “There are no plans for one,” was all the PM’s official spokesman said. In addition, Labour was looking for opportunities to force an emergency vote this week on the Brexit blueprint.
Privately, Cabinet ministers are saying support for a second referendum as a fall-back option has grown in recent days. “If politicians cannot reach an agreement, what else can you do but go back to the people?” a minister asked.
