Thread by @TomMcTague

EXC: UK plan to win legal guarantees in two key Brexit areas:
1️⃣ Re-insert Para 50 of original 2017 backstop deal, without which, unionists say, the backstop undermines the Good Friday Agreement
2️⃣ Remove NI/GB divergence in food production standards 1/10
politico.eu/article/mays-b…

1️⃣Para50 of Dec 2017 joint report reflected core provisions of Good Friday Agreement, effectively giving Belfast a veto over further joint-working with Dublin. This section was subsequently left out of the final Withdrawal Agreement. Lord Bew and others say this undermines GFA 2/

Para 50 guarantees no new regulatory barriers between NI and GB, “unless, consistent with the [GF Agreement and] the NI Executive agree that distinct arrangements are appropriate." ec.europa.eu/commission/sit…. Backstop allows for distinct NI arrangements without Belfast's consent 3/

Para 50 reflects "STRAND TWO" of the GFA, which establishes a North/South Ministerial Council: an institution Belfast/Dublin empower to run certain areas of life on island of Ireland (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl…). No.1 in this is agriculture. Backstop hands this competence to EU 4/

May is now planning to seek legally enforceable commitments from Brussels resurrecting paragraph 50. “Paragraph 50 needs to go back in,” said one senior UK official familiar with the prime minister’s thinking 5/

EU officials NOT best pleased. “It’s pretty desperate stuff,” one diplomat said, rejecting the claim that the backstop itself undermined the Good Friday Agreement. “It’s a bit rich. It’s something of the devil quoting scripture for his own benefit.” Remember: DUP opposed GFA 6/

2️⃣2nd area the UK wants to deal with is the regulation governing the food industry: "Agri foods." Under the current WA, this is the one key area where N Ireland will enter a different regulatory environment to the rest of the UK (where it is not treated differently already) 7/

Agri-food: Downing Street wants to change this so that Northern Ireland remains in lock-step with the rest of the UK. This could potentially be done by the whole of the UK adopting EU agri-food regulations 8/

A 3rd strand of the changes the UK is seeking to agree is a time limit on the backstop, but this remains v contentious. In any case, No10 hopes it may not be necessary to bring the DUP on board. For everything, No10 wants legally watertight guarantees: "More than a letter." 9/

Overall, May knows this is her last shot — but believes the EU is prepared to listen. “They [the EU] know they need to do something, but they are asking what do we want,” says UK official. "We know we need to get the answer exactly right this time. Tuesday is the key.” 10/ends