May tries again to get deal

BREXIT: MPS COMPLAIN THEY MAY NOT HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO SCRUTINISE WHATEVER DEAL She arrived in Strasbourg on the eve of crucial vote in British parliament.

Prime Minister Theresa May arrived at the European parliament last night for last minute talks with EU officials before she presents her Brexit deal to sceptical MPs during a crucial vote in the British parliament today.

May was greeted at the Strasbourg parliament building by the president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and his chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.

Her visit comes after British officials worked through the weekend to secure concessions from the European Union (EU) they hope will persuade MPs to back the text.

The House of Commons overwhelmingly defeated the deal in January and without significant changes, is expected to do so again in a vote today.

The EU has rejected many of May’s demands, which relate to the controversial backstop plan for the Irish border, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it had made an offer at the weekend.

Defeat could see Britain sever ties with its closest trading partner on March 29 with no new arrangements, causing huge disruption on both sides of the Channel.

It would also raise the possibility of postponing Brexit, after May promised to allow MPs a vote later this week on whether to accept a “no deal” scenario or request a short delay from the EU.

Hopes for a breakthrough in the talks looked slim earlier Monday, after the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said it was up to May and British MPs to find a compromise.

“We held talks over the weekend and the negotiations now are between the government in London and the parliament in London,” he told AFP in Brussels.

But Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney then suggested May could visit Strasbourg, where the European Parliament is holding its plenary session this week, to “finalise an agreement, if that’s possible”.

In Berlin, Merkel said the EU had offered “a large number of proposals at the weekend” to provide “much more legal clarity” over the Irish backstop. “We’ve made an important offer again towards Great Britain and now of course it’s up to Great Britain to react to these offers,” Merkel said.

The late trip caused concern among MPs in London, who complained they may not have enough time to scrutinise any deal May agrees before being asked to vote today. –