,
7 tweets,
2 min read
Read on Twitter
Re #Brexit renegotiation: It’s true the text Theresa May signed up to when EU agreed to a Brexit extension clearly states this extra time can’t be used to renegotiate the (legally-binding) Withdrawal Agreement though the (aspirational) Political Declaration can change HOWEVER /
1
1
I think EU leaders will engage with more than a ‘Forget it’ come the autumn. They will at least listen to what the new UK prime minister has to say /2
Remember, the Brexit extension runs out end of October and EU leaders want to avoid a no deal #Brexit which would be costly for them too BUT as before, they won’t avoid No Deal at any price /3
Privately a number in EU think the Irish backstop text probably pushed UK too far. Some countries were open to an ‘far enough away’ end date but Ireland was vehemently opposed and EU wants to be seen to protect one of its own rather than a leaving member country /4
If new UK prime minister managed to come up with a new plan for Irish backstop that addressed all main concerns: UK unity, integrity of EU single market and NIreland peace process, then EU would definitely consider BUT /5
When comes to backstop, EU feels they’ve been round and round the issue with UK and that no better compromise solution exists as the one currently in Withdrawal Agreement /6
A note for those believing the EU will splinter badly over renegotiation issue: EU leaders always bicker but in all my years covering European politics, I’ve never seen a subject that unites them (in public at least) as much as #Brexit does /7
