Latest Brexit talks over Northern Ireland backstop fail to achieve breakthrough, EU says
The latest talks aimed at breaking the Brexit deadlock over the Northern Ireland backstop have failed to achieve a breakthrough, the European Commission has said.
The UK Prime Minister has said she wants legally binding changes to the backstop - intended to prevent the return of a hard border on the island of Ireland - to ensure the UK is not tied to EU rules indefinitely, in order to convince MPs to back her deal. "No solution has been identified at this point that is consistent with the Withdrawal Agreement, including the protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland which, as you all know, will not be reopened."
But asked whether the Government would back no-deal in the vote scheduled for the following day if the agreement fails, he said: "Potentially all things are possible." Under the proposals, MPs will be allowed to vote on whether to take new EU workplace rules, rather than them being automatically written into UK law.
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