Yahoo Finance EU want to give Theresa May a ‘helping hand’ to end Brexit crisis
EU leaders are ready to offer Theresa May a “helping hand” out of the political crisis over the Brexit deal, which is threatening the prime minister’s grip on power and could push the UK towards a no-deal divorce.
May will travel to Brussels for crunch talks over Brexit at the European Council summit on Thursday weakened by a confidence vote called by Conservative MPs.
But her continental counterparts are keen to send her back to London on Friday with enough ammunition to defeat the rebels in her party and get the Brexit deal through the UK parliament.
“We are acting under the current circumstances and want to provide her a helping hand to overcome her domestic situation,” an EU source told Yahoo Finance UK on the eve of the summit.
Senior EU figures also expressed their displeasure at moves to displace May from Downing Street.
A spokesperson for European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker reiterated his “support for prime minister May and her role in managing a very difficult process.”
And European Parliament Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt said EU-UK relations were being put at risk by an “internal Conservative party catfight.”
Once again, the fate of EU–UK relations, the prosperity of businesses & citizens' rights are consumed by an internal Conservative party catfight over Europe. I hope that, whatever happens, at least the vote will make clear that a disastrous no–deal is off the table. #Brexit
— Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) December 12, 2018
The situation is a complete reversal on previous summits, where May faced derision from EU leaders for pursuing policies designed to please the most ardent Brexit supporters in her party.
They are rallying around May as they fear further instability is more likely to lead to a no-deal situation than Brexit being called-off.
“If theres a problem with the ratification [of the deal] in the House of Commons and time is running out, then of course the probability of a no-deal scenario is not decreasing but increasing,” said a senior EU diplomat.
Any renegotiation over the 585-page withdrawal agreement has been ruled out by the EU and that has been officially accepted by the UK government.
“I don’t know what is possible, but I know what is impossible,” said the diplomat. “What is impossible is to renegotiate the deal, the rest can be discussed.”
Instead, the leaders of the EU institutions and the heads of government of the other 27 member states are set to give written “assurances” over what the current deal will mean.
MORE: Juncker warns May there is ‘no room whatsoever’ to change Brexit deal
They are particularly keen to set the record straight over the Irish border backstop – the top concern for many of May’s internal detractors.
“I know from following the debate in the UK that there is this suspicion that the backstop will be a prison or the objective of the EU to put the UK in the backstop, that is not true,” said the diplomat.
EU leaders could issue a joint statement on the issue or add a legally binding annex to the deal in a bid to reassure MPs, depending on what the prime minister tells them would be most beneficial.
The European parliament joined efforts to de-dramatise the backstop, issuing a joint statement from its political group leaders which “reaffirmed that the backstop is in any case to be used only as a measure of last resort.”
However, the statement also underlined the importance of the issue for the EU side by vowing any deal without a backstop would be vetoed.
It’s unlikely that May will request an extension of Article 50, but an EU source signalled one would be granted. The duration would depend on the reason why it was needed, they added.
READ MORE: EU politicians dismiss ‘almost insane’ idea of renegotiating Brexit deal
