Angela Merkel says EU CAN fix Brexit deal to help Theresa May in massive boost for PM
The German leader called on the EU to be more flexible in talks with Britain over the Brexit deal
ANGELA Merkel today boosted Theresa May's chances of a new Brexit deal - insisting the hated Irish backstop CAN be replaced.
The German leader defied sneering Brussels Eurocrats as she called on the EU to take Mrs May's demands seriously.
Mrs Merkel's vow to work closely with the UK comes as a lift to the PM's chance of rewriting her deal so MPs can finally sign it off.
Mrs May has called on Brussels to fix the backstop so Britain doesn't risk getting trapped in the European customs union.
Speaking in Tokyo, the German Chancellor said she was confident there is no need for a hard border in Ireland even if the UK quits the EU's economic structures.
She added that negotiators should be "creative" and avoid risking a No Deal outcome which would damage Europe's economy.
We can still use the time to perhaps reach an agreement if everyone shows good will
Angela Merkel
Mrs Merkel said: "There are definitely options for preserving the integrity of the single market even when Northern Ireland isn't part of it because it is part of Britain while at the same time meeting the desire to have, if possible, no border controls.
"To solve this point you have to be creative and listen to each other, and such discussions can and must be conducted.
"We can still use the time to perhaps reach an agreement if everyone shows good will."
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The German leader's stance is much more flexible than Brussels-based bureaucrats who have insisted the current withdrawal agreement can't be changed.
Today Martin Selmayr, who as secretary-general of the European Commission is one of the EU's most powerful figures, suggested a No Deal was getting more likely.
After meeting MPs from the Commons' Brexit committee, Mr Selmayr rubbished the idea of rewriting the backstop.
He blasted: "On the EU side, nobody is considering this.
"Asked whether any assurance would help to get the Withdrawal Agreement through the Commons, the answers of MPs were inconclusive.
"The meeting confirmed that the EU did well to start its No Deal preparations in December 2017."
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AFTER MPs voted last month to send Theresa May back to Brussels to rip out the hated backstop, the Brexit deal remains on pause for now.
She will hold more talks with her backbenchers this week and head to Northern Ireland for fresh discussions about the thorny issue of the Irish border.
Once she’s got a plan she thinks MPs can back, she is set to go back to Brussels to persuade them to endorse it.
MPs’ half-term recess has been cancelled to deal with Brexit and get us ready to leave on March 29.
The next crunch votes are now set to take place on Valentine's Day - 14 February.
The Commons will get a new opportunity to have its say on what happens next. There could be bids to try and delay Brexit again like Yvette Cooper’s amendment, or even a second referendum.
Meanwhile, some MPs are considering whether to resign their party whips in order to defy their leader.
One Labour MP was reported to be mulling resigning unless Jeremy Corbyn backed a so-called People’s Vote.
And Tories like Sarah Wollaston have said they would quit the party if Mrs May targets a No Deal outcome.
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Irish deputy PM Simon Coveney also insisted that "alternative arrangements" can't replace the backstop.
He said: "None of those ideas around alternative arrangements have actually stood up to scrutiny."
The backstop, which is only intended to take effect if there is no other way to keep the border open, would see the UK stay in Europe's customs union indefinitely - stopping us making our own trade deals.
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