Days From Summit, May Takes Brexit Battle To Brussels

Brussels, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Nov, 2018 ) :Having survived a challenge from hardline anti-Europeans in her own party, Theresa May comes to Brussels on Wednesday to fine tune the terms of the Brexit divorce.

The British prime minister will enjoy afternoon tea with the president of the EU commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, with negotiations set to continue right up to Sunday's planned deal-signing summit.

Neither side has much wiggle room left to polish the withdrawal treaty nor the political declaration on future relations that goes alongside it, but May must show that she has left nothing on the table if she is to convince British MPs to ratify the deal.

And she now appears to have bought herself time to focus on negotiations in Brussels, after a leadership challenge from anti-European members of her own party fizzled out, at least temporarily, without a confidence vote.

She nevertheless still faces pressure from her Northern Irish parliamentary allies, who oppose a deal they say weakens British sovereignty in their province, and from Spain, which warned it might veto the accord over the issue of Gibraltar.

European Union leaders will meet on Sunday to approve both the outline declaration on future post-Brexit ties and the withdrawal agreement struck last week, hoping finally to put an end to the uncertainty over Britain's exit in March.

But political challenges remain on both sides of the Channel.

Two of May's top ministers quit last week over the divorce deal, including her Brexit secretary, while MPs from all parties came out against it.

A leadership challenge by May's own Conservative MPs failed to materialise, however, and when she gathered her new-look cabinet Tuesday they agreed to press on.

The withdrawal deal covers Britain's financial settlement, expatriate citizens' rights, contingency plans to keep open the Irish border and the terms of a post-Brexit transition.

Officials are now racing to agree details of the accompanying outline statement on the future trading and security relationship for after Britain leaves the EU's single market and customs union.