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Mehreen
@MehreenKhn
, 4 tweets, 1 min read Read on Twitter
It's not just Boris's non-plans on backstop that is pushing UK to no-deal. Commission officials told EU27 today that Brits demanding three major changes to the accompanying political declaration text - but without any clarity about how to get them ft.com/content/227f72…
UK wants "best in class free trade deal" with the EU that gives Boris freedom to diverge from European standards. Brits now want very limited "level playing field" commitments compared to that forseen by May (social & env) - can hear alarm bells going off in Netherlands, France
Brits have also demanded changes to post-Brexit dispute settlement mechanism and defence relations but have given EU no clarification on what they want "despite requests" to do so.
Commission warned EU27 today that with UK determined to diverge (strange basis to do a free trade deal) the probability of a no deal has never been higher. " The EU does not have the power to avoid a no deal alone"
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More from @MehreenKhn see all

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Mehreen
@MehreenKhn
EU27 ambassadors have been briefed on Brexit state of play by Michel Barnier today. Still no ideas on table from Brits over the backstop. Mood towards UK turning glum in Brussels. One participant says it's v clear that EU - UK relations will be v difficult to manage from here
EU27 standing squarely behind Ireland. Any alternatives to backstop have to respect Good Friday Agreement and single market. The latter has been prompted by Boris wish to junk level playing field obligations. One diplomat says LPF is "as big a deal as backstop right now"
🚨Barnier told EU27 diplomats today that Brexit talks in a "state of paralysis". There are growing concerns over UK demands for a free trade agreement to allow divergence from EU standards. Barnier warned public mood on trade deals (CETA) meant any FTA faced ratification problems
Read 4 tweets
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Mehreen
@MehreenKhn
According to an internal note David Frost, UK Sherpa, told European parliament officials in Brussels today that government wanted a deal as its "first option" and "downplayed" the prorogation move from Johnson
Frost did not put forward details on how to change the backstop but said UK was "ready to talk and engage and, above all, get down to the detail but this would need to be accompanied by 'give and take' on both sides. The UK were open to all ideas on solving the Irish border"
He made it "clear that the currently configured backstop, as well as a Northern Ireland only version, were both unacceptable" for the UK. Frost likely to be back in Brussels next week and in weeks running up to October European Council. "It's a process" says one EU official
Read 5 tweets
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Mehreen
@MehreenKhn
All Dutch parties have decided to suspend election campaigning after Utrecht attack
Head of Dutch counter - terrorism says Utrecht shootings took place in multiple locations in the city
Mark Rutte statement on #Utrecht shootings at 14.30. The government convened emergency meeting today
Read 8 tweets

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Telegraph Politics
@TelePolitics
Jeremy Hunt says the Labour party led by Jeremy Corbyn is the 'biggest threat facing British politics'
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/…
Jeremy Hunt: 'I do recognise that we are never going to have a deal to leave the EU with a backstop. It has to change or has to go'

Follow LIVE updates: telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/…
Jeremy Hunt says the #backstop 'traps us into following EU customs tariffs'
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/…
Read 8 tweets
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Katy Hayward
@hayward_katy
Sir Graham Brady plans to table an amendment the Withdrawal Agmt (WA) bill to make it law that Alternative Arrangements (AA) to the #backstop must be in place by end of transition period.
So, he says, the backstop wd still be in WA text but it wd be clear it'll never be used.
1/7
Brady says the proposal would simply be bringing forward the #AlternativeArrangements from the Political Declaration up front in the UK legislation implementing the WA.

The rationale is that by making backstop unusable, it will create a majority for the WA in the Commons.
2/7
Brady says EU & UK govt have to recognise that his AA amendment is only means of passing WA.

He admits he is yet to persuade the PM but claims that "Downing Street has people actively engaged in looking for alternative arrangements" to the #backstop.

3/7
Read 7 tweets
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James Holland
@James7Holland
THREAD..

..on the biggest and baddest lobbyists in EU town

..the huge influence they have on EU lawmaking

..and how many represent interests from outside the EU.

/1
According to Transparency International @TI_EU, the lobby organisation that has held the most high-level meetings at the European Commission between 2014 and 2018 is @BusinessEurope.

"BusinessEurope?!?" you ask.

/2
@TI_EU @BusinessEurope It is hardly surprising that the vast majority of people have never heard of BusinessEurope.

There is a worrying media blackout about how a complex network of organisations lobby the #EU on behalf of the world largest corporations.

/3
Read 27 tweets
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Katy Hayward
@hayward_katy
A quick thread on May’s statement, for the bedtime tweeters.
Ignore the claim there are 6 key issues.

All that is worth looking at is what she says she will not do;
what she says she will do;
+ what she says might do.

TL;DR: There is no Plan B.

1/12
gov.uk/government/spe…
What she won’t do:
Revoke Art. 50 (that’s just rude);
Extend Art.50 (so No Deal remains live);
Call a 2nd referendum (she doubts it’ll win)*

* Though she doesn't completely rule out the possibility of Parliament bringing this forward.

2/12
What she might do post-Brexit:
Take lessons from her mistakes in these negotiations when it comes to negotiating the future relationship.
She’ll be more inclusive: ‘engaging’ with elected reps from NI (and [randomly] English regions), & businesses & other normal people.

3/12
Read 12 tweets
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David M. Herszenhorn
@herszenhorn
Amid reports that #UK PM @theresa_may hopes to renegotiate the "backstop" provision on the Northern Ireland border, let's recall that she already made clear what she wants in her letter to #EU leaders before disastrously losing the #Brexit Withdrawal Treaty ratification vote. 1/
"This could be mitigated by changes to the backstop itself," she wrote to @eucopresident & @JunckerEU "Proposals for a way in which the UK could choose to exit the backstop unilaterally were it ever to come into force, or for a hard time limit... 2/
on the duration of the usage of the backstop, have been raised and discussed in Parliament. We have also raised them previously in negotiations." So there are her proposals, i.e. the EU should basically just cave on backstop in face of House of Commons defeat. But but but ... 3/
Read 17 tweets
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Camino Mortera
@CaminoMortera
Today, @CER_EU publishes my piece on #Brexit and #JHA. I have been looking at this for 1,5 years so I hope I did not make too many mistakes (links to piece - cer.eu/publications/a… and opens thread)
At the outset of the #Brexit process, most people assumed that a deal on #police and #judicial co-operation was easier to get than one on #trade. Time has shown this is not the case. Ongoing co-op on #JHA is one of the few items yet to be agreed on #withdrawal deal. Why?
Well, because the #EU and #UK's opening positions in the #negotiation are incompatible: Britain wants a #bespoke agreement with the EU, a la #Schengen, but is not willing to accept #ECJ or #EUCharter. EU wants to replicate existing models. What to do?
Read 10 tweets

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