What 'alternative arrangements' could solve Brexit backstop?
Wednesday 30 January 2019 17:09, UK
By Alan McGuinness, political reporter
The Irish border backstop is the key issue preventing Theresa May getting her Brexit deal through parliament in time for exit day at the end of March.
But there was a boost for the prime minister when a majority of MPs gave their support for her withdrawal agreement, but on the condition the backstop is replaced by "alternative arrangements".
It was proposed by Conservative MP Sir Graham Brady and backed by Mrs May, who said its approval in the Commons gave her a "mandate" to renegotiate her deal and secure "legally binding" changes.
However, she did acknowledge that there was "limited appetite" on the EU side for this and "negotiating it will not be easy".
So, what alterations to the backstop will the PM seek? Sky News takes a look at what Britain will be returning to Brussels to ask for.
:: Hang on a second...remind me again, what is the backstop?
The vote for Brexit has raised a multitude of questions, not least about the future status of the border between Northern Ireland - part of the United Kingdom - and the Republic - an EU member.
Because of this new disparity between two countries that share a land border, arrangements for avoiding a return to a hard frontier (border posts and checkpoints) need to be agreed.
The backstop is an insurance policy contained in the withdrawal agreement negotiated between Britain and the EU to avoid a hard border.
In an ideal scenario, the withdrawal agreement is passed by parliament and Britain enters into a 21-month transition period which runs until the end of December 2020.
During this time, the UK will continue to follow EU rules and regulations, with the intention being that this time is used by government and businesses to get ready for Brexit to take full effect.
In this period both sides will negotiate the terms of the future relationship between Britain and the EU.
The hope is that, all being well, these talks work out a way of ensuring there is no need for a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.
If not, the backstop will kick in.
The UK as a whole would then remain in a customs union with the EU, while Northern Ireland would follow further EU rules and regulations in order to keep the border frictionless.
:: Why are some MPs so opposed to it?
Many Tory MPs - and those in Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party - have serious misgivings about the backstop.
Indeed, some want it removed from the withdrawal agreement altogether.
They oppose it because they fear it will weaken the constitutional integrity of the Union - as Northern Ireland would be treated differently to the rest of the UK by following different rules and regulations.
Opponents have also expressed fears Britain could end up being trapped in the arrangement - and by extension the EU - indefinitely in some kind of "Hotel California" scenario - you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.
Remember the clarion call during the 2016 referendum campaign to "take back control"?
Backstop detractors say the arrangement does not deliver on the will of Leave voters.
:: So, how could it be changed?
Speaking to Sky News on Monday, Sir Graham said suggested three possible alterations that, if agreed to by the EU, could gain the support of MPs.
He said there could be a binding addendum to the withdrawal agreement which puts a time limit on the backstop.
This could either stipulate it will be end by a certain fixed date, or that it could last for no more than a certain period of time.
Sir Graham also mooted a provision that allows for either side to withdraw from the backstop under certain conditions as a means of breaking the Brexit impasse.
For example, if negotiations about a future relationship were to break down, to prevent it from being used as an excuse for putting off an agreement.
Addressing MPs at PMQs, Mrs May confirmed the alternative arrangements she will be exploring will be a unilateral exit mechanism, a time limit to the backstop, swapping it for a free trade agreement and potential technological solutions.
The last reference is the idea that technology could be used to allow customs checks to take place away from the border - including potentially having declarations made online. She has also mentioned the possibility of a trusted trader scheme.
In the past, Chancellor Philip Hammond has raised the possibility of using blockchain technology. It is effectively a digital list of records or transactions linked together in a public database that can be updated by those using it.
But the PM herself dismissed such ideas last year, saying: "Both sides in the negotiation understand that and share a determination never to see a hard border in Northern Ireland.
"And no technology solution to address these issues has been designed yet, or implemented anywhere in the world, let alone in such a unique and highly sensitive context as the Northern Ireland border."
:: What have the EU and Ireland said?
Ministers, negotiators and officials in Brussels and Dublin will likely be watching the latest developments in London with a familiar mix of bemusement and exasperation.
Mrs May's pledge to return to the EU and ask for the withdrawal agreement to be reopened will have gone down like a bucket of cold sick.
They have insisted for weeks and weeks that it cannot be renegotiated, it is the only deal on the table and the requirement for a backstop is immutable.
Indeed, within minutes of the Brady amendment passing, Brussels reiterated this fact.
Simon Coveney, Ireland's deputy prime minister, has dismissed the idea of "alternative arrangements" out of hand.
"There are currently no alternative arrangements, which anybody has put forward, which achieve what both sides are determined to achieve - to avoid a hard border, including any physical infrastructure or related checks or controls, and protect the all-island economy, North-South co-operation and the Good Friday Agreement," he said.
"Believe me, this has been explored endlessly in the negotiations over the last two years.
"We have seen no alternative arrangements that meet this essential threshold.
"We need a backstop or insurance mechanism based on legal certainty, and not just wishful thinking."
Meanwhile, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has insisted the withdrawal agreement will not be renegotiated.
He told MEPs: "The withdrawal agreement remains the best and only deal possible.
"The EU said so in November, we said so in December, we said so after the first 'meaningful vote' in the Commons in January.
"The debate and votes in the House of Commons yesterday do not change that."
Will that position shift as the clock ticks ever closer to the end of March?
The ticking clock could change minds, but it's a riAG百家乐在线官网 game of chicken for Britain to play.
:: Sky News will broadcast a special live debate at 7pm tonight - Brexit Crisis: Deal or No Deal - from Sunderland, a city that voted overwhelmingly to leave the EU.