Ministers in revolt over May's Brexit concessions: reports
Prime Minister Theresa May's office yesterday insisted it would not "trap" Britain in an endless customs union with the EU after Brexit, amid reports some ministers could quit if this is the price of a divorce deal.
But her spokeswoman declined to confirm that a fall-back plan to keep open the land border with Ireland after Britain leaves the bloc in March 2019 would be "time-limited".
Brussels has insisted the backstop cannot by its very nature be time-limited.
Negotiations in Brussels have stepped up ahead of a high-stakes EU summit next week, and May briefed selected members of her cabinet late Thursday on how she intends to get an agreement.
Several eurosceptic ministers are now reportedly considering resigning over plans to give ground on the so-called backstop arrangement.
Britain has proposed a customs arrangement with the EU to avoid physical checks between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland, until the issue can be resolved with a wider trade deal.
However, British eurosceptics are wary of being tied to the bloc indefinitely.
May is also facing a revolt by her Northern Irish allies over the long-term trading relationship, an outline of which London wants set out before Brexit.
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has threatened to bring down the government if the deal results in new barriers to trade between Northern Ireland and mainland Britain.
DUP MP Nigel Dodds yesterday said his party also needed any backstop to be time limited.
A full meeting of the cabinet is due next Tuesday, the day before May heads to Brussels to discuss Brexit with the other 27 EU leaders.
Both sides had originally set the October 18 summit as the deadline for a divorce deal, but the timetable is slipping, with another summit in November now looking likely.
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