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A senior MEP, serving on the European Parliament's Brexit Steering Group, said the prime minister’s plea to rip up the existing agreement would be rejected – because a no-deal outcome was “the lesser evil”.
“There will be a price to pay, but the calculus that is being made on this side of the Channel is that the cost of hurting the integrity of the single market will be significantly bigger,” said Philippe Lamberts.
“And, therefore, if we have a choice to make between two evils then, well, no deal is the lesser evil.”
The warning came as an ally of Angela Merkel said renegotiating the backstop would backfire on the UK – by reopening controversies over Gibraltar, fishing and the Brexit divorce bill.
Meanwhile, Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, failed – four times – to say what “alternative arrangements” to the backstop Ms May will be seeking when she returns to Brussels.
Mr Barclay said “that what’s we’re exploring”, as he also declined to say a new deal would be done by the next Westminster deadline, in just two weeks’ time.
The fresh barbs from the continent came as the government celebrated winning Commons support to seek to renegotiate the Brexit deal – while defeating attempts by backbench MPs to seize control of the Brexit process. [...]
Full article on The Independent