Brexit boost for Theresa May as German economists urge EU to drop the Irish backstop and save deal
THERESA May has won a Brexit boost after German experts urged the EU to ditch the backstop in order to cut a deal.
A group of economists have published a paper calling for Brussels to be less hardline in Brexit talks.
They said the EU should axe the hated Irish backstop plan - or risk the UK crashing out without a deal at all.
The six experts said: "A hard Brexit is in no one’s interest and would cause irreparable political and economic damage."
This week the PM vowed to head back to Brussels and rewrite the existing Brexit deal in order to make it acceptable to MPs.
But EU bosses have hit back - saying the backstop must stay because it's the only way to guarantee the Irish border remaining open.
Brexiteer MPs hate the proposal, which would see Britain stay in the EU customs union in the absence of alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border.
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The German economists, writing for think-tank EconPol Europe, said Brexit should be delayed until June to give both sides time to draw up a better deal.
It would see the UK and EU establish a joint "European Customs Association" where every country would have an equal say.
That would allow trade to flow freely across borders - but unlike the existing customs union run by Brussels, Britain would get a vote and a veto over the rules.
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And issues such as services, intellectual property and health would be excluded altogether, allowing the UK to write its own guidelines.
The economists said: "Our aim is not to define a first-best solution but rather a politically feasible approach that minimises economic costs."
German leader Angela Merkel has vowed to make Mrs May "look into the abyss" in a bid to force her to abandon her demands on the backstop.
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