Foto

May seeking 'pragmatic' Brexit compromise

May seeking 'pragmatic' Brexit compromise Deutsche Presse Agentur February 3, 2019 2:31am

British Prime Minister Theresa May says she will seek a "pragmatic" Brexit deal that can win over both the European Union and her own MPs when she returns to Brussels for talks.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, May suggested that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had agreed with her that the Irish border backstop as set out in the Withdrawal Agreement had to change.

May said she was listening to figures from across politics, the trade union movement and business in her quest for a feasible Brexit compromise.

"It's why when I return to Brussels I will be battling for Britain and Northern Ireland, I will be armed with a fresh mandate, new ideas and a renewed determination to agree a pragmatic solution that delivers the Brexit the British people voted for, while ensuring there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland," May added.

"That is what Parliament instructed me to do on Tuesday night," May said asserted.

In Tuesday's House of Commons vote, a narrow majority of MPs backed May's plan to renegotiate the so-called "backstop" - the part of the withdrawal agreement that guarantees an open Irish border after Brexit.

But the EU has rejected this. Minutes after the Commons vote, European Council President Donald Tusk issued a statement insisting the withdrawal agreement including the backstop "remains the best and only way to ensure an orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union."

The prime minister is due to report back to Parliament on her negotiations with the EU on February 13. Originally published as May seeking 'pragmatic' Brexit compromise Our Privacy Policy includes important information about our collection, use and disclosure of your personal information (including to provide you with targeted advertising based on your online activities). It explains that if you do not provide us with information we have requested from you, we may not be able to provide you with the goods and services you require. It also explains how you can access or seek correction of your personal information, how you can complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles and how we will deal with a complaint of that nature. social_email Latest news sent to your inbox %%b%%Thank you!%%/b%% Add the following email newsletters@e.themercury.com.au to your contacts folder to ensure that this newsletter doesn't end up in your spam folder. Learn more about our Privacy Policy _questionmark