Theresa May warns of race against the clock as talks with EU chief fail to break Brexit deadlock
3 min read
Theresa May has warned that the UK and EU face a race against the clock if they are to avoid a no-deal Brexit.
The Prime Minister insisted time was “of the essence” after she met European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker for talks in Brussels.
She made the comments just hours before Jeremy Corbyn travels to meet EU officials in a bid to woo them towards the Labour Brexit plan of maintaining a permanent customs union.
Mrs May has promised MPs she will renegotiate the controversial backstop plan to ensure the Northern Irish border remains open in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Critics of the proposal - which would keep Britain in a customs union - argue it would leave the country tied to EU rules indefinitely, prevent the UK having its own trade policy and trigger the breakup of the UK.
Mrs May told Mr Juncker she would be unable to get her deal through Parliament without legally-binding guarantees that would put a time-limit on the backstop or allow the UK to leave it unilaterally.
After the talks she said: “We have agreed that work to find a solution will continue at pace, time is of the essence and it is in both our interests that when the UK leaves the EU it does so in an orderly way.”
A joint statement said negotiations were “constructive” and that fresh talks would take place before the end of February.
It said both sides were “seized of the tight timescale and the historic significance of setting the EU and the UK on a path to a deep and unique future partnership”.
But Home Secretary Sajid Javid warned that the chances of a no-deal Brexit on 29 March had risen.
He told the Peston show on ITV it was “fair to say that in the past few weeks the probability of a no-deal Brexit has gone up”.
'DAMAGING APPROACH'
Meanwhile, Mr Corbyn will head to Brussels today to meet EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and European Parliament Brexit chef Guy Verhofstadt.
He will tell them there is no majority in Parliament for a no-deal departure and discuss the Labour blueprint for quitting the bloc.
Ahead of the visit, Mr Corbyn said: “We are saying loud and clear that there is no majority for no deal, and Labour will be working with politicians across the house to prevent a no deal outcome which would be so damaging to our economy and communities.
“Labour respects the result of the referendum, but we do not support the Prime Minister’s damaging approach which is focused more on appeasing factions of her party than finding a sensible solution that works for the whole country.”
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