Theresa May says Brexit deal remains "feasible" despite differences

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Prime Minister Theresa May called for "calm and calm heads" by saying that an agreement on Brexit was "still achievable" despite the differences with the EU.

She stated that it was "frustrating" that both parties could not agree on how not to guarantee a hard border in Northern Ireland.

The question could not "derail" the chances of reaching an agreement, she said.

And she sought to reassure critics of her approach that the UK would not end up in a "permanent limbo" tied to EU customs rules.

At the same time, in anticipation of the decisive summit of European leaders this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that an agreement seemed "more difficult" because of the border issue.

"If it does not work this week, we must continue to negotiate, it's clear – but time is running out," she added.

And Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, urged both sides not to give up, suggesting that an agreement "still seems impossible until it is concluded".

In the Commons, Ms. May faced pressure from both sides of the Brexit debate as she made a statement to MPs.

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The Brexiteers warned that the UK was bound by EU rules, Mr Remainers called for a new referendum and the Democratic Unionist Party – which supports the conservatives in key votes – does not support the EU. required no separate arrangement for Northern Ireland.

Jeremy Corbyn said Ms. May should give way to the Labor Party rather than being "shaken this or that way by the chaos of her own party".

Unprogrammed talks with the EU Sunday were broken off over the Irish border issue just days before the summit, which will begin Wednesday.

Ms May rejected the EU's proposal to keep Northern Ireland in line with its trade rules as a safety net or "backstop" to avoid a hard border, saying that it would divide the Kingdom. -United.

She told MEPs that the EU had "responded positively" to her proposal for a UK-wide deal, but that she insisted on maintaining a specific arrangement for the "EU". Northern Ireland on the table.

Despite this, she stated that she did not think that the two parties were very far apart, adding, "I still think that a negotiated agreement is the best result for the UK and the EU and that such an agreement is achievable.I will continue to work with our European partners ".

Some Brexiteers are unhappy with the prospect that the UK will remain in the EU's customs regime beyond the proposed transition period, which will end in December 2020.

"I must be able to look at the British people in the eye and say that this safety net is a temporary fix," May told MPs, in an effort to reassure critics that she does not would not become a "permanent limbo".

When will the real "critical point" come?

By BBC political correspondent Chris Mason.

Reporters like me like the words "crunch". It is full of drama and danger.

And yes, after more than two years of debate and discussion since the referendum, things get complicated. But we are not yet at the critical point.

We have therefore known for a long time that the European summit this week was not going to be a sign of the decisive moment. We had hoped that it would happen in November, and who knows, it could always be the case.

But that could slip in December, even in January. Things can and will become cristier than they are now.

What is the Irish "safety net"?

The United Kingdom will leave the EU in March 2019, along with its single market and customs union, which allow friction-free trade between members.

• Q & A: The Irish border backstop at Brexit
• Monday press: "deadlock on Brexit" and "showdown in Brussels"

After Brexit, it will have a land border with the EU between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

The UK and the EU want to avoid a "hard border" – physical checks or infrastructure between Northern Ireland and Ireland – but can not agree on how

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The backstop is therefore a solution of last resort: to protect an open border on the island of Ireland in case the UK leaves the EU without having agreed on a solution in the trade negotiations.

The two sides, however, do not agree on what this safety net should look like. The EU has suggested that Northern Ireland remains aligned with its trade rules, so that new border controls are not needed.

But Ms. May said that would undermine the integrity of the United Kingdom by creating a new frontier in the Irish Sea.

She suggested that the UK as a whole could remain aligned with the EU Customs Union for a limited period after 2020, at the end of the planned transition period.

But the EU says that a safety net would not work if it was limited in time. Some Tory Brexiteers say the backstop is not at all necessary because technological solutions can avoid a hard border.

What happens next?

Theresa May will chair her weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday, which is expected to be dominated by Brexit.

The Prime Minister was invited to address EU leaders Wednesday at a dinner while unconfirmed media information was given her 48 hours to show her that could mobilize national support for an agreement on Brexit.

The remaining 27 members of the EU will then meet, without the UK, to decide how to move the negotiations forward.

They are expected to decide whether they are making enough progress to hold a special summit in mid-November and will work to conclude the agreement itself or to make no agreement.

In his letter to EU leaders, Mr Tusk said that a "no-deal" scenario was "more likely than ever before", but that the state of mind of the EU should be to "do everything possible" to reach a consensus.