SUNDAY TIMES WEB DESK: EU officials have insisted that the deal – rejected by British lawmakers – is not open for renegotiation.
But May wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that she would be “battling for Britain and Northern Ireland” in her efforts to get rid of the agreement’s unpopular “backstop” provision.
“If we stand together and speak with one voice, I believe we can find the right way forward,” she said.
The so-called backstop is intended to ensure there is no return to a hard border with Ireland, but Brexit supporters fear it will keep Britain tied to the EU’s customs rules.
MPs voted last week to send May back to Brussels to renegotiate the clause, suggesting her deal would then be able to pass after it was roundly rejected in parliament last month.
I am now confident there is a route that can secure a majority in the House of Commons for leaving the EU with a deal,” she wrote.
“When I return to Brussels, I will be battling for Britain and Northern Ireland, and I will be armed with a fresh mandate, new ideas and a renewed determination to agree on a pragmatic solution.”
The EU insists that the deal “remains the best and only way to ensure an orderly withdrawal”, and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Sunday that “if the British want to avoid a disorderly Brexit, our offer is on the table”.
But with the clock running down until the March 29 exit date the risks of a no-deal Brexit for both Britain and the bloc are coming into sharp focus.
Car giant Nissan announced Sunday it was cancelling plans to build its X-Trail SUV at its plant in northeast England, saying that “the UK’s future relationship with the EU is not helping”.
May said opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn “also believes the potential indefinite nature of the backstop is an issue”, and that the EU has “already accepted the principle of ‘alternative arrangements’ superseding the backstop should it ever be required”.
The backstop would kick in if Britain and the EU have not agreed on a trade deal on their future relationship after a time-limited transition period of up to two years.