Just 22 days before Britain is due to leave the EU, the two sides are locked in a game of brinkmanship and attempts to reach a mutually acceptable deal.
BRUSSELS - The European Union told Britain to rework its Irish backstop proposal by Friday but feared it would struggle to secure a deal that satisfied pro-Brexit lawmakers before a key vote in the UK parliament on Wednesday.
“We are now in a state when we are discussing proposals we have rejected months ago,” an EU diplomat said. “They’ve sent in a criminal lawyer who doesn’t know EU law or customs rules. We are explaining from scratch why his ideas won’t fly.” Britain’s parliament rejected that pact, largely over concerns over the backstop. The bloc has offered addendums and extra assurances on the text to make it more palatable but refuses to change its substance.
In such a scenario, the EU and the UK would fall back to a “mini-backstop” which would include fewer checks than envisaged in the Withdrawal Agreement, the sources said. In the event of a breakthrough, May would be expected in Brussels on Monday to seal the deal with Jean-Claude Juncker, the head of the bloc’s executive.
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