London: UK Prime Minister Theresa May is said to be ready to ditch one of her key Brexit demands in order to resolve the vexed issue of the Irish border and clear the path to a deal, according to people familiar with the matter.
The fix opens the possibility that Britain would end up bound indefinitely to the European Union’s customs rules. While that’s something that the EU and many businesses want, it risks detonating a crisis in May’s government that could even bring her down.
Until now, May has insisted that a legal guarantee to ensure no new border emerges on the island of Ireland should be strictly limited in time. May and pro-Brexit politicians in her Conservative party want an end date for the policy to avoid delaying the UK’s departure and to ensure the country is free from EU customs rules to strike its own trade deals around the world.
But the EU has rejected her stance and talks have been stuck for months.
