Number 10 has admitted there are no imminent meetings planned between the Prime Minister and other EU leaders.
However, the PM is still hoping she can secure concessions on the Northern Ireland border by next week.
Theresa May is due to visit Northern Ireland tomorrow to try to win support for her new Brexit plans, but it is yet to be seen if the EU will even consider them.
Angela Merkel speaking from Tokyo today said: “We want to do everything to ensure that a no deal doesn’t happen, because that would only heighten insecurity. We’re happy that a majority in the British parliament feels the same. Now we have to figure out what to do. We’re saying that the exit treaty took a long time to negotiate, so we don’t want to re-open the exit treaty. That’s not on the agenda.”
Sir Keir Starmer has said that attempts to find an alternative to the backstop will fail.
He said:” The prime minister and her team have spent over 12 months trying to find an alternative to the backstop. We have only got the backstop because they couldn’t find an alternative.
“So, for her to go back now saying ‘I don’t want the backstop, I want an alternative’ is to stand the last 12 months on its head. And I think that’s what is causing the anxiety because nobody realistically thinks she’s going to succeed in that objective.”
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