Theresa May heads to Brussels to get changes to the Irish backstop

TOLGA AKMEN | AFP | Getty Images

Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street in London on February 5, 2019. – A top EU official warned Monday that the prospect of Britain crashing out of the bloc next month looks more likely than ever, as Prime Minister Theresa May sought to reassure foreign investors worried about a chaotic Brexit.

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May is heading to Brussels on Thursday seeking changes to the Brexit deal with the European Union (EU) with just 50 days to go until the Brexit departure date.

May is due to meet with EU officials including European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council President Donald Tusk and the European parliament’s Antonio Tajani on Thursday.

The thorny subject of the Irish “backstop” – something of an insurance policy designed to prevent a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland if there’s no trade deal between the U.K. and EU – will be the main topic of debate.

May is seeking changes to the backstop arrangement within the Brexit deal (known formally as the “Withdrawal Agreement”) because of widespread objection to it in the U.K. Parliament.

She is expected to tell her European counterparts Thursday that the U.K. “cannot, and will not, be trapped in the backstop,” according to remarks released by Downing Street. The U.K. is exploring “alternative arrangements” and legal provisions to the current backstop, the statement said.

The EU has said repeatedly that it will not renegotiate the withdrawal agreement, however. Speaking on Wednesday, European Council President Donald Tusk said the EU would “insist” on the backstop.