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Kevin Hjortshøj O'Rourke
@kevinhorourke
, 5 tweets, 1 min read Read on Twitter
Now is time for clarity on the part of the EU regarding the status of the Withdrawal Agreement and the backstop. If it is really the case that they are not going to be renegotiated then that needs to be stated in unambiguous terms right now. IMO.
ft.com/content/d75cbc…
It was already clear after Johnson's trips to Berlin and Paris that he was going to use the positive mood music there to spike the guns of Tory rebels: how could you vote no confidence in a government actively negotiating on behalf of the country abroad?
Johnson is still at it and it may work: don't vote against me he'll say, since I'm trying to get the backstop removed & may well succeed. But if the EU is actually unwilling to remove the backstop then MPs who believe Johnson and vote accordingly are in fact voting for no deal.
EU leaders may believe that they have been clear in recent days that their line on the backstop hasn't changed, but the UK political and media establishment has a great capacity to not hear what it doesn't want to hear. If there was such a message it hasn't gotten across.
And that makes no deal more likely.
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More from @kevinhorourke see all

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Kevin Hjortshøj O'Rourke
@kevinhorourke
This point needs to be made more often inside the UK since it is crucial. The deadline for a deal is not October 17, it is well before that, since a legally binding treaty is needed by October 17, not some vague aspirational language.
The EU Council will presumably discuss Brexit, but this will be the 27 remaining members meeting as they have done before behind closed doors -- they certainly won't be negotiating with Johnson at the Council since it is Barnier who does that.
And what will the 27 be doing behind closed doors? Presumably deciding whether or not to approve any amended deal that has been agreed between HMG and Barnier *before* the Council. And they may also be discussing a common position to be adopted in the event of a no-Deal Brexit.
Read 4 tweets
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Kevin Hjortshøj O'Rourke
@kevinhorourke
It's none of my business since I'm not British but I have to say this seems sensible to me, coming as it does from a party with a strong Remainer constituency. (I am guessing it will be widely mocked though.)
You surely can't remain in the EU without a referendum & there needs to be a sensible leave choice on the ballot. No deal is a very bad leave option for the UK that no responsible politician should advocate.
It'd even be bad for Leavers since it'd completely discredit their cause if it actually happened....thus making it more likely that the UK would eventually rejoin. If the UK even survived.
Read 12 tweets
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Kevin Hjortshøj O'Rourke
@kevinhorourke
I am not sure this will make the EU more anxious to keep the UK as a member...
The EU negotiates with governments; there has been a referendum and Article 50 has been triggered; it is under an obligation to negotiate in good faith with HMG to secure a sensible deal until such time as a no deal Brexit occurs, or HMG revokes Article 50.
(But the LibDems needn't fear, it really doesn't look as if there will be a deal before October 31, or indeed before a general election. Could be wrong about that of course!)
Read 3 tweets

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Nick Gutteridge
@nick_gutteridge
EU Parliament President David Sassoli, after meeting with Michel Barnier this morning: 'You can’t have an agreement without the backstop. It couldn’t really be any clearer. That’s the position of the EU Commission, the position of the EU institutions including the EU Parliament.'
Sassoli says: 'We’re not ruling anything out. If solutions are proposed they will be debated, all of them, provided they respect the guiding principles of the EU. But up to now I can say the UK hasn’t proposed any alternatives, anything that’s been legally credible and workable.'
Sassoli says possible options include returning to the EU's original proposal for a Northern Ireland only backstop and revisiting the Political Declaration 'and making it into a legally binding document'. These points are included in an EP resolution to be voted on next week.
Read 3 tweets
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Katy Hayward
@hayward_katy
Adding my t'pence worth to commentary from @DavidHenigUK & @MichaelAodhan on ERG's 'Clean & Managed Brexit' report today.
It's notable that, of the list of amendments they wish to see to Withdrawal Agreement, none are specific to Protocol on IRL/NI containing the #backstop 👇1/3
This is what it wants for @BorderIrish in a future UK-EU 'FTA Plus'.
So. A few Qs:
- what does a 'compliant' border mean in this case?
- does it mean tech that isn't new to Irish border, or tech that exists elsewhere?
- same for 'currently available' admin & tech procedures.
2/3
A 'seamless border' is an oxymoron.

[Ends].
3/3
Read 3 tweets
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Mark Rutte
@MinPres
I regret the outcome of tonight's #Brexitvote. It is disappointing that the UK government has been unable to ensure a majority for the Withdrawal Agreement agreed by both parties in November, even after multiple additional assurances from the EU. A solution must come from London.
The EU continues to stand by the Withdrawal Agreement, including the backstop, which serves to prevent a hard border in Ireland and preserve the integrity of the single market unless and until alternative arrangements can be found.
With only 17 days left until March 29th, the Dutch government will keep working tirelessly to make sure the damage for NL and Dutch citizens living and working in the UK is minimised in the now more likely case of a no-deal #Brexit.
Read 4 tweets
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Sebastian Payne
@SebastianEPayne
Bonjour from Brussels! I’ve spent the day here to get a sense of the other side of May’s latest Brexit mayhem. I’m a keen Westminster watcher, not an EU expert (see @alexebarker @AlbertoNardelli @BrunoBrussels). But here are some outsider thoughts:
#1: Everyone I’ve spoken to is exasperated by both Theresa May and Britain’s general approach to Brexit. The EU thought it had a done deal. The PM led the Commission and member states to believe the withdrawal agreement would pass parliament. Trust has now all-but evaporated.
#2: Europe remains baffled by Westminster and how British politics operates. The lack of real cross-party co-operation, the ardent tribalism for example. Brady amendment is a case in point. It makes total sense from a Tory party perspective, but almost none from the EU.
Read 13 tweets
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David M. Herszenhorn
@herszenhorn
#EU leaders issue five paragraph statement in long-shot bid to change 100+ minds in #UK Parliament "The Union stands by this agreement and intends to proceed with its ratification. It is not open for renegotiation.
2. The European Council reiterates that it wishes to establish as close as possible a partnership
with the United Kingdom in the future. It stands ready to embark on preparations immediately
after signature of the Withdrawal Agreement to ensure that negotiations can start as
soon as
possible after the UK’s withdrawal.
3. The European Council underlines that the backstop is intended as an insurance policy to
prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland and ensure the integrity of the Single Market. It
is the Union’s firm determination to work
Read 7 tweets
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Penny Midas Rollo
@PennyMidasRollo
001/ [article content in this tweet series 001-180 reproduced with permission from Martin Howe QC of Lawyers for Britain @lawyers4britain]
#quote "Leaving the EU on WTO terms: pulling down the barriers to world trade
Introduction: why prices will FALL after Brexit, not rise" /002
002/ #quote "Over the past couple of weeks, the media have been full of lurid scare stories about what will happen if the UK leaves the EU on WTO terms, because negotiations with the EU do not result in a withdrawal agreement." /003
#tariffs #NoDeal #Brexit #WTO #ProjectFear #shortages #food #medicines
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