Irish foreign minister is not seeing need for further compromise on back stop

Ahead of the next crucial Commons debate, Simon Coveney, the Irish foreign minister and deputy prime minister, insisted the backstop was “part of a balanced package that isn’t going to change” insisting it was only part of the withdrawal agreement because of the UK’s red lines.

Since May’s deal was rejected in the Commons by a majority of 230, some ministers claim to have picked up signs that other members of the EU may be inclined to compromise on this in order to avert a no-deal Brexit. The Guardian newspaper wrote, "Ministers have not formally backed any of the anti-backstop amendments, which are incompatible with the deal that May agreed with UK leaders, but if one were to pass by a majority, she would be able to present the EU with a firm idea of what changes might get her deal through parliament – something that as yet remains unclear to Brussels."

In an interview with BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show, Coveney said he did not see the need for further compromise because “the backstop is already a compromise”. Although originally Northern Ireland-specific, it was made UK-wide at the request of May, he said.

“And the very need for the backstop in the first place was because of British red lines that they wanted to leave the customs union and single market,” he said.

“So the Irish position is, look, we have already agreed to a series of compromises here, and that has resulted in what is proposed in the withdrawal agreement. Ireland has the same position as the European Union now, when we say that the backstop, as part of the withdrawal agreement, is part of a balanced package that isn’t going to change.”