“And the backstop can only ever be temporary…under the legal arrangements of the European Union.”
Article 20 says that the backstop will only ‘cease to apply’ if ‘the Union and United Kingdom decide jointly’ that it should end – no sovereign right for the UK to leave.
If he can’t get an early election, he would take a disorderly departure from the EU, leading to a recession – and to victory at a later date.
The DUP leader says that “there will be consequences” if the Prime Minister proposes one.
The DUP hates the idea of Corbyn in Downing Street. But it is very hard to imagine it waving the draft deal through.
There is still time for adoption of a comprehensive free trade deal on offer from the EU and applied to the entire UK, which even now could provide a way forward.
The UK should copy Canada only in regard to how it pursues a deal, and that means securing one that is bespoke to our economic needs and realities.
Cox told the Cabinet that the EU’s admittance that the backstop can be temporary was a step forward. He is right, although the devil will be in the detail.
The key to a good Brexit is empowering UK entrepreneurs to talk to their European counterparts and become ambassadors for Downing Street’s plan.
Meanwhile, almost a third of replies support a trade-off over a longer transition and the backstop. Two-thirds oppose any transition extension.
Ireland has in recent years moved from a restrictive semi-theocratic state to a more relaxed definition of Irishness. And then there is Brexit…
Ireland risks a hard border, imposed on it by the rest of the EU, if a way isn’t found by all parties of climbing off the self-contradictory backstop clauses.
The significance of the Northern Ireland SpAd’s tweet lies less in its content than its author – and that it has been issued at all.
For nothing in return, by way of a guaranteed free trade deal, the Prime Minister is willing to hand over at least £40 billion, potentially £60 billion.