Nathalie Loiseau, who is Emmanuel Macron’s closest advisor on Europe, insisted the backstop, the insurance mechanism to prevent a hard border is Ireland, becomes “inevitable” if Britain leaves the bloc without an agreement. Britain was left teetering on the edge of a no-deal Brexit after MPs overwhelming rejected Theresa May’s withdrawal deal that she agreed with her EU counterparts at a special Brussels summit in November. The backstop was at the heart of the rejection, with critics saying Britain could be indefinitely trapped by the EU in a customs union.
But French agitators have now suggested that Brussels could use the backstop even in a no-deal scenario to ensure there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Writing on Twitter, Ms Loiseau said: “Leo Varadkar and Michel Barnier are right: with or without agreement, Brexit imposes a safety net for Ireland.
“As part of the withdrawal agreement, this backstop is unlikely to be activated.
