Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney
Ireland insists British Prime Minister Theresa May makes good on commitments to provide a "backstop" plan to ensure Brexit does not create a disruptive hard border with Northern Ireland, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Monday.
Speaking as he arrived to meet fellow EU ministers in Luxembourg, Coveney told reporters that he was frustrated but calm after Brexit negotiations stalled on Sunday and said that he believed a deal was still possible after a summit this week.
British health minister Matt Hancock said on Sunday any backstop arrangement to prevent a hard border with Ireland following Brexit would be temporary, adding there were different ways to make something "credibly time-limited"."It's important where we have a backstop that that both reflects the integrity of the UK with respect to the customs union and customs arrangement and also that it's temporary," Hancock told the BBC's Andrew Marr show, declining to say whether there would be an expiry date for the backstop."We're coming into the final days and weeks of these negotiations ... everybody needs to get behind the prime minister and pull behind her because she is trying to deliver the best deal for Britain."May's team must force change in Brexit policy, says former ministerDUP leader regards no-deal Brexit as 'likeliest outcome'
Any Northern Irish backstop will be temporary: minister
Prime Minister Theresa May's ministers should "exert their collective authority" to force a change in her Brexit strategy, former Brexit minister David Davis said on Sunday, stepping up pressure on Britain's leader.In an article in the Sunday Times newspaper, Davis again pressed May to abandon her proposal for leaving the European Union, saying the bloc "has rejected it. The public does not like it. Parliament will not vote for it".With less than six months before Britain leaves the EU in its biggest trade and foreign policy shift in more than 40 years, May is struggling to get backing for not only her vision for future ties with the bloc but also over a so-called backstop deal for Northern Ireland, one of the trickiest hurdles left.As Brexit talks progress, UK PM May struggles to find support at homeUnder pressure from parliamentary partner, UK's May meets ministersTalks with Brussels have been all but non-stop before a summit on Wednesday when the two sides hope to agree a draft withdrawal treaty to outline the divorce terms, including a transition agreement and a solution to Northern Ireland.Davis, who again criticised the government of which he was once part for accepting "the EU's language on dealing with the Northern Ireland border" in December, said it was now up to the so-called cabinet of top ministers to exert their influence."This is one of the most fundamental decisions that government has taken in modern times. It is time for cabinet members to exert their collective authority," Davis wrote."This week the authority of our constitution is on the line."Davis also said Britain should use the 39 billion pounds Britain has agreed in a financial settlement with the EU as the "biggest bargaining chip" to secure a beneficial future trading relationship with the bloc.DUP leader prefers no Brexit deal to EU 'annexation' of Northern IrelandBoris Johnson calls for PM May to ditch Brexit border backstop
May's team must force change in Brexit policy, says former minister