British PM May's top lawyer struggles for Brexit deal in Brussels

[webfact]

British PM May's top lawyer struggles for Brexit deal in Brussels

By Gabriela Baczynska

 

Britain's Attorney General Geoffrey Cox is seen outside of Downing Street in London, Britain, February 27, 2019. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Talks between British Prime Minister Theresa May's top government lawyer and European Union negotiators to win concessions from the bloc on Brexit ended with no agreement in Brussels on Tuesday.

 

May has sent Attorney General Geoffrey Cox to seek changes to her deal in a last-ditch bid to get it through parliament and smooth Britain's departure from the European Union.

 

The talks between Cox, Britain's Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay and the EU's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier ended with no agreement after more than three hours on Tuesday. Sources from both sides said negotiations among lower-ranking officials would continue on Wednesday.

 

An EU official said Tuesday's talks did not go well.

 

Britain is due to leave the EU in 24 days, but parliament's rejection of May's deal in January has put in doubt how, when or possibly even if Britain's biggest foreign and trade policy shift in more than 40 years will take place.

 

May has charged Cox and Barclay with securing changes to the so-called Irish backstop, an insurance policy to prevent a "hard border" between the UK province of Northern Ireland and EU-member Ireland if a future trading relationship falls short.

 

Time is of the essence, with some businesses increasingly concerned over the risk of a disorderly Brexit, which BMW said on Tuesday could mean it would move some production of engines and its Mini model out of Britain.

 

Earlier, foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said the government still wanted "to leave at the end of this month and it depends how quickly we can get a deal through".

 

"Our ask of the EU is an important ask ... but it is one ask and it's a simple one. We need substantive changes that will allow the attorney general to change his advice to the government that says that, at the moment, theoretically, we could be trapped in the backstop indefinitely."

 

FLEXING MUSCLES

May has struggled to convince the EU that she can get the deal through a deeply divided parliament in London, where lawmakers are increasingly flexing their muscles to try to influence Britain's departure from the bloc.

 

She has offered lawmakers the chance to seek to prevent a no-deal departure and to delay Brexit if parliament rejects the deal in a vote she has promised to hold by March 12. Both British and EU officials have said any delay would probably be just for a few months.

 

Ministers are hoping Cox can convince eurosceptic lawmakers he has done enough to remove the threat of Britain ending up in the EU's customs union indefinitely, something Brexit supporters say would make a mockery of the 2016 vote to leave the bloc.

 

The British government had been looking at either an end date on the provision or some way of London being able to stop the arrangement unilaterally, but have in recent days been less specific about what the changes would amount to.

 

Both options have long been rejected by the EU.

 

Asked after a meeting of senior ministers whether May had set out specific details of what Cox was seeking, her spokesman said: "No ... you can expect them (Cox and Barclay) to be having detailed discussions around the legally binding changes we're seeking to the backstop, but it wasn't discussed at cabinet."

 

British and EU officials said the change could come in an addendum to the agreement - something the government hopes will be enough to change minds in parliament, where deep divisions over Brexit have become increasingly entrenched.

 

"How we get there is something we're prepared to be flexible about," Hunt said. "But the crucial thing that we are looking for is to see whether Geoffrey Cox is going to be able to change his advice to the government."

 

(Writing by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Gareth Jones and Rosalba O'Brien)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-03-06

[Wiggy]

Iceberg! Dead ahead!

I fear this is not going to end well.

[Loiner]

EU doesn’t want to deal. Not even a limit to the backstop and indefinite tie to Customs Union that he went there for?
Better come home, Leave them to it and settle for No Deal. Not a disorderly exit - a clean break. Not crashing out - cashing in.


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[welovesundaysatspace]

2 hours ago, Loiner said:

 Not a disorderly exit - a clean break. Not crashing out - cashing in.

...and Brexiteers complain when they’re being called uneducated ???? 

[Loiner]

...and Brexiteers complain when they’re being called uneducated [emoji846] 

Uneducated, or not Remainwashed?


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[david555]

2 hours ago, Wiggy said:

Iceberg! Dead ahead!

I fear this is not going to end well.

Yep, even at the last moment that iceberg in front of Titanic did not blink ...same same

[damascase]

4 minutes ago, david555 said:

Yep, even at the last moment that iceberg in front of Titanic did not blink ...same same

Let’s re-arrange the deck chairs then. If that doesn’t move the iceberg, make sure the band plays Rule Britannia when we hit!

Edited March 6, 2019 by damascase

[david555]

6 minutes ago, damascase said:

Let’s re-arrange the deck chairs then......,...

Don't forget the orchestra ...

BTW  plenty time still 23 days 16 hours , just carry on like doing 2 years already.....(nothing serious )

Edited March 6, 2019 by david555

[Kwasaki]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Both options have long been rejected by the EU.

I'm surprised, same same EU won't agree in the US meeting either. 

[vogie]

18 minutes ago, david555 said:

Yep, even at the last moment that iceberg in front of Titanic did not blink ...same same

I really think sometimes remainers/eumainers should think their analogies out a little bit more carefully. In the original scenario it is my belief that very little harm came to the iceberg, so if we are saying that the UK is the Titanic and the iceberg is the EU, rest assured after the collision there won't be enough ice left to put in your gin and tonic.

[david555]

4 minutes ago, vogie said:

I really think sometimes remainers/eumainers should think their analogies out a little bit more carefully. In the original scenario it is my belief that very little harm came to the iceberg, so if we are saying that the UK is the Titanic and the iceberg is the EU, rest assured after the collision there won't be enough ice left to put in your gin and tonic.

You forget 1 thing about icebergs …. only 10 % is above the surface ….90% under the water pointing  in any direction possible ...

Edited March 6, 2019 by david555

[melvinmelvin]

Interesting,

now May has delegated to Crox and Barclay the crucial task she didn't manage to hack herself.

 

even with May out of the way it is probably an uphill task.

 

 

[Kwasaki]

31 minutes ago, david555 said:

You forget 1 thing about icebergs …. only 10 % is above the surface ….90% under the water pointing  in any direction possible ...

Exactly the EU is an iceberg with little to show on top and the hangers on going downwards and melting at a fast rate.

As for the Titanic that was owed by an American J.P. Morgan we know how good they managed, a bit like TM as the UK captain.

Edited March 6, 2019 by Kwasaki

[Loiner]

Interesting,
now May has delegated to Crox and Barclay the crucial task she didn't manage to hack herself.
 
even with May out of the way it is probably an uphill task.
 
 

It’s a task for an outcome that none of them want, so will come back empty handed.
Cox was almost put in contempt of parliament, by not publishing the report, which revealed that the May/Merkel agreement would keep us tied to the EU indefinitely.
We don’t know who in his dept spilled the beans, but he was part of the Remainer cover up of the truth about her agreement, claiming it was not in the national interest.
If he as AG won’t get any limits on the ties, the virtually unchanged agreement must be kicked out of parliament again. Is it then too late for any other arrangements, so we default to No Deal?


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[nabbie]

3 hours ago, Loiner said:

EU doesn’t want to deal. Not even a limit to the backstop and indefinite tie to Customs Union that he went there for?
Better come home, Leave them to it and settle for No Deal. Not a disorderly exit - a clean break. Not crashing out - cashing in.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

I thought EU already made a deal with Theresa May last October but parliament rejected her deal last Jan. Then it is not good for average people. 

[7by7]

3 minutes ago, nabbie said:

I thought EU already made a deal with Theresa May last October but parliament rejected her deal last Jan. Then it is not good for average people. 

 You think correctly.

 

What is very telling is that I have yet to see a Brexiteer say what they believe was wrong with that deal and what they would replace it with.

 

Instead they just whinge and complain that the EU wont surrender and give them what they want; even though they don't know what it is that they want!

 

Though to be fair, there are those who say that they prefer no deal and WTO terms. Which any sane person knows would be disastrous for us. Unless we want to join Mauritania in being one of the only two countries to trade on WTO terms alone!

 

Brexit papers: What no deal could mean

 

Brexit: What is the 'no deal' WTO option? 

[tebee]

32 minutes ago, 7by7 said:

 

 

 

 

Instead they just whinge and complain that the EU wont surrender and give them what they want; even though they don't know what it is that they want!

 

 

Brexiters have being doing this for almost 3 years. They know what they don't want, but have no idea what they do want.

[david555]

49 minutes ago, tebee said:

Brexiters have being doing this for almost 3 years. They know what they don't want, but have no idea what they do want.

They know what they want …., all the good things from E.U. membership whiteout membership payments or regulations ….total freedom at no cost or obligations ????....???? 

Edited March 6, 2019 by david555

[Thingamabob]

Enough. Just leave. 

[david555]

8 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

Enough. Just leave. 

 

Edited March 6, 2019 by david555

[sawadee1947]

2 hours ago, Loiner said:

It’s a task for an outcome that none of them want, so will come back empty handed.
Cox was almost put in contempt of parliament, by not publishing the report, which revealed that the May/Merkel agreement would keep us tied to the EU indefinitely.
We don’t know who in his dept spilled the beans, but he was part of the Remainer cover up of the truth about her agreement, claiming it was not in the national interest.
If he as AG won’t get any limits on the ties, the virtually unchanged agreement must be kicked out of parliament again. Is it then too late for any other arrangements, so we default to No Deal?


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Did I miss something? May and Merkel are friends/working together in UK govt.? Wow, would be the best for UK, well? 

[AlexRich]

The “backstop” issue will turn out to be a non-issue should May’s deal go through without any significant changes. Firstly, you don’t have to enter into it, and secondly, if you do it gives the UK benefits that it doesn’t have to pay for. And other EU countries will not be happy with that arrangement any more than a year or two. So a final agreement will get done and everyone will be wondering what the fuss is all about.

 

But reject May’s deal and you’ll find that “no deal” is replaced by an extension of Article 50 followed by a much softer Brexit that ties the UK permanently into the customs union. Or no Brexit at all.

Edited March 6, 2019 by AlexRich

[puipuitom]

6 hours ago, khwaibah said:

Yes, and we now know, what disaster they left in India + Pakistan.  WW2.. is won by the Sovjet soldiers and US arms.

[Loiner]

Did I miss something? May and Merkel are friends/working together in UK govt.? Wow, would be the best for UK, well? 

You haven’t been paying attention have you?


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[puipuitom]

6 hours ago, Loiner said:

EU doesn’t want to deal. Not even a limit to the backstop and indefinite tie to Customs Union that he went there for?
Better come home, Leave them to it and settle for No Deal. Not a disorderly exit - a clean break. Not crashing out - cashing in.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

If the Brisish first would make a decisssion where they want the border with the EU: between North and South Ireland, with that breaking the treaty of Good Friday 20 years ago, or.. all the Irish Island as one block in or out..

[welovesundaysatspace]

27 minutes ago, Loiner said:

You haven’t been paying attention have you?

People generally don’t pay much attention to conspiracy theories and hogwash, apart from laughing at it. 

[Loiner]

People generally don’t pay much attention to conspiracy theories and hogwash, apart from laughing at it. 

Not a theory. Blindingly obvious conspiracy. You don’t think they met in Berlin last December to do their Christmas shopping do you?


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[welovesundaysatspace]

3 minutes ago, Loiner said:

Not a theory. Blindingly obvious conspiracy. 

That’s what the chemtrails said. 

[nontabury]

1 hour ago, puipuitom said:

Yes, and we now know, what disaster they left in India + Pakistan.  WW2.. is won by the Sovjet soldiers and US arms.

And there’s me thinking it was the Dutch.

 

 

[david555]

12 minutes ago, nontabury said:

And there’s me thinking it was the Dutch.

 

 

You'r confused with this a few hundred years ago .., it made a quote from Brits " the Devil is shitting Dutchmen's outside " 

????

Raid on the Medway - Wikipedia

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_the_Medway

1.  

The Raid on the Medway, during the Second Anglo-Dutch War in June 1667, was a successful attack conducted by the Dutch navy on English battleships .... River defences were hastily improvised with blockships sunk, and the chain across ... Seeing the disaster Monck ordered all sixteen remaining warships further up to be ...

Edited March 6, 2019 by david555