Graphic shows options to leave European Union facing British government.
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EU

Theresa May’s Brexit options

By Duncan Mil

October 17, 2018 - October 18, 2018 - The EU and Britain face a “moment of truth” for Brexit negotiations at a crunch summit Wednesday, where leaders will decide whether enough progress has been made in talks to warrant a special summit in November.

Disagreement over the EU’s so-called Irish backstop -- a guarantee by both sides that there will be no hard border in Ireland -- is the biggest obstacle to the UK’s orderly departure from the bloc in March.

Theresa May’s Chequers Brexit plan has drawn criticism from both sides of the North Sea with former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and ex-Brexit secretary David Davis repeating calls for the UK to “chuck Chequers” and seek a looser free trade deal with Brussels like Canada.

Also, opposition to the Chequers deal has come from the European Research Group of Hard Brexit supporting MPs led by Jacob Rees-Mogg.

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier says that Northern Ireland should stay in the EU’s Customs Union to avoid a land border with the EU -- Johnson has said the EU’s fallback position for the Irish border would mean Northern Ireland was “annexed” by Brussels.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 15/10/2018; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Associated Press
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