Theresa May has said she is "determined" to deliver Brexit on time ahead of talks on the Irish backstop. Writing in the Sunday Times, Simon Coveney said: "The EU will not renegotiate the withdrawal agreement and there will be no withdrawal agreement without the backstop." The backstop forms part of the withdrawal agreement negotiated by the UK and EU and is aimed at keeping the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic open after Brexit. Under the current Brexit deal, the 310-mile Irish border would become the only land border between the EU and the UK. In January, MPs rejected Mrs May's withdrawal agreement by 432 votes to 202,with nearly 120 Conservative MPs voting against their leader.

Source: The Star February 03, 2019 06:56 UTC