The UK is expected to leave the European Union (EU) three weeks today on March 29 but Prime Minister Theresa May is still desperately attempting to get a deal done. Attorney General Geoffrey Cox and Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay were both in Brussels this week attempting to break the deadlock. But they admitted talks have been “difficult” as a solution fails to emerge over the Irish backstop. Mrs May has urged the EU to make “just one more push” in further talks this weekend to break the Brexit deadlock so she can approve her deal in Parliament on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister warned EU leaders of a “moment of crisis” if the deal presented to MPs fails, adding the UK “might never leave the EU at all”.
In separate comments, DUP leader Arlene Foster said the Prime Minister “must deliver” on delivering the Irish border changes, while a “fresh approach by Dublin and Brussels” was necessary.
THIS is what will happen if Brexit backstop is NOT resolved
Business transformation expert Rita Trepan, who advises Fortune 500 company CEOs about Brexit, says the “substantive changes” needed for progress are “unlikely to be forthcoming”, leaving just two stark options on the table.
She told Express.co.uk: “The Prime Minister’s hopes of salvaging a deal – and possibly her premiership – appear to be pinned on Attorney General Geoffrey Cox to get the deal done.
“Should he fail, we are set for an extension to Article 50 or – quite possibly – the no deal Brexit that Theresa May has been so desperate to avoid.”
A no-deal Brexit is the option businesses fear most – along with many MPs – because the sudden exit of the UK from the EU overnight without procedures in place could result in major chaos at borders.
The real test comes next week when MPs get a second “meaningful vote” in the Commons to decide on whether or not to pass Mrs May’s deal.
The last vote in January was overwhelmingly rejected because of the backstop, an insurance policy that could keep the UK tied to EU customs rules to prevent the return of a hard border.
But if next week’s vote fails to pass again, this time MPs will have a say on whether they want to extend Article 50, which could delay Brexit by several months.
Ms Trepan said: “It seems that extending the negotiating period is now the most likely option.
“Although the government has repeatedly doubled down on leaving the EU on 29 March, there is a consensus that no deal is the worst case scenario.
“Certainly, it is the scenario that businesses are desperate to avoid, with the years of further uncertainty that it would entail.”
The Brexit advisor added it was the responsibility of businesses to not to see March 29 as a “cliff-edge moment”.
She said: “But regardless of the outcome, business leaders have a responsibility not to view our proposed exit date as a cliff-edge moment, but to plan for all eventualities; continue to make firm decisions about the future direction of their organisation; invest where appropriate; and not be sidelined by political chaos which many now see as part and parcel of the job.”
The Government’s second meaningful vote is scheduled for Tuesday evening after a full day of Commons debate.
The time of the result has yet to be announced.
