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Theresa May has arrived in Canada for the G7 summit
Theresa May has refused to give a guarantee that the federal government's "backstop" plan on customs after Brexit won't lengthen past December 2021.
The prime minister was compelled to agree a cut-off date after Brexit Secretary David Davis threatened to resign.
But talking to reporters on her flight to the G7 summit in Canada, she twice refused to give a "cast-iron guarantee" that the end date wouldn't slip.
The proposal would see the UK match EU commerce tariffs quickly.
It could be used if an everlasting customs deal isn't in place on the end of the 21-month Brexit transition interval, with the purpose of avoiding a laborious Irish border.
In response to whether or not she would find a way to guarantee the December 2021 end date, Mrs May mentioned the federal government was "very clear" that it anticipated to have a customs association in place "at the very latest" by December 2021.
The "backstop" plan is "something that we don't want ever to happen," she mentioned.
Pressed for a second time to give a cast-iron guarantee, she mentioned: "I've at all times been clear that the backstop was time-limited. The level in regards to the backstop is it might by no means be used.
"The point about the backstop is that it only comes in if, for technical reasons, the agreed end-state customs arrangement has not been possible to put in place by January 1 2021."
The authorities is making an attempt to make progress earlier than an essential assembly of EU leaders later this month.
But the plan has but to be agreed by the EUon Thursday its chief negotiator Michel Barnier set out on Twitter the standards by which it might be judged.
Twitter submit by @MichelBarnier
I welcome publication of #UK proposal on customs features of IE/NI backstop.
We will study it with three questions: is it a workable answer to keep away from a laborious border? Does it respect the integrity of the SM/CU? Is it an all-weather backstop?— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) June 7, 2018
Between 29 March 2019, when the UK leaves the EU, and 31 December 2020 the EU and UK have agreed on a transition or implementation interval, throughout which era the free motion of products, individuals and cash can proceed.
The purpose is to purchase time earlier than the everlasting EU-UK future relationshipwhich has but to be agreedbegins.
But if new preparations should not in place by the end of 2020, then a "backstop"or contingency planis required if a laborious border is to be prevented between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republicwhich is an EU member.
The UK has rejected the EU's proposalthat Northern Ireland stay aligned with EU guidelines for an intervalsaying it might successfully create a border between Northern Ireland and the remainder of the UK.
On Thursday it revealed its personal proposal, which adopted a sequence of conferences between the prime minister and David Davis, in addition to with fellow cupboard Brexiteers Liam Fox and Boris Johnson.
The proposal would see the entire of the UK match EU commerce tariffs quickly so as to keep away from a laborious Irish border.
Amid stories that Mr Davis would give up the cupboard if no end date was included, the doc was modified to embody the road: "The UK expects the future arrangement to be in place by the end of December 2021 at the latest."
Who's the true winner?
The Brexit secretary claimed a victory, however in Westminster what begins out as a "win" can, by morning, look like a hole victory, writes BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg.
Senior figures in authorities are questioning whether or not David Davis actually achieved very a lot.
He might have saved face after making an enormous fuss however look rigorously on the concession he received, they are saying, and it would not actually imply very a lot.
A couple of phrases right here, a loosening up of the deliberate language there, maybe the victory actually was Theresa May's?
Read the remainder of Laura's weblog
Brexiteers are involved that if the UK is tied into an open-ended customs association with the EU it would stop it from creating its personal commerce coverage and the UK would stay underneath the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.
Liam Fox is requested: Who governs UK tonight?
Liam Fox instructed the BBC: "As everybody knows from the referendum, opinions and feelings run high on this issue but we've shown we can reach an agreement civilly and collectively."
But the European Parliament's Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt mentioned: "A backstop that is temporary is not a backstop, unless the definitive arrangement is the same as the backstop."
And Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar acknowledged that any proposal couldn't be "time limited by date".