been ' w. rufz'wv'g:w:f ' ' .. ,.u.n..,_,éwu,§",€? ‘ue‘l have been working extremely hard over the past months to provide the additional reassurances the prime minister needs to get the deal over the finishing line. before the first meaningful vote in january, together with president tusk, i sent a letter sending out our agreement on the patrol agreement, in particular on the backstop under agreement on the future relationship. since then, the prime minister and myself have met very often, at least at the space of just one month. including in the desert. we task our negotiation teams to explore additional guarantees and qualifications relating to the backstop, alternative relations, and additional changes to the political declaration related to the future relationship that could be helpful to all of us. michel barnier met

four times to all of us. michel barnier met fourtimes in to all of us. michel barnier met four times in the space of one month with the uk's negotiator steve backley and the attorney general. they have spared no energy, time or commitment to clarify, reassure or explain what they withdrawal agreement is and what it is not. we have left no stone unturned, our mind has always been open, our work always creative, underhand has always creative, underhand has always been a stretch. it is in this spirit that today the prime minister andi spirit that today the prime minister and i have agreed on a joint legally binding instrument relating to the withdrawal agreement. this instrument provides meaningful clarifications and legal guarantees of the nature of the backstop. the backstop is an insurance policy, nothing more, nothing less. the intention is not for it to be used, like in every insurance bus with ——

insurance policy. if it were ever to use, it would never be enacted in bad faith. if either side enacted in bad faith. if either side enacted in bad faith, there is a legal way for either party to exit. the incident that sets out this details has legal force by fully respecting the guidelines of the european courts, and the guidelines of the european council. it can to withdrawal agreement without reopening it. my team andi agreement without reopening it. my team and i have been in constant contact with our irish friends over the past days and over the last hours. the taoiseach would be prepared to back this approach in the interests of the overall deal. i have just informed the president of the european council this evening, and asked him to recommend that the european council endorses this joint instrument, subject to the prior positive vote in the house of commons on the withdrawal agreement. in politics, sometimes you get a second chance. it is what we do with

the second chance that comes, because there will be no third chance. there will be no further interpretation of the interpretations, and no further assurances oi'i interpretations, and no further assurances on the reassurances. if the meaningful vote fails tomorrow. let us be crystal clear about the choice. it is this deal or brexit might not happen at all. faced with this, members of the house of commons have a deep responsibility and the fundamental choice to make. i was following, day after day, sometimes minute after minute, the debate in the house of commons. interesting debates, and all the views which would express in the debates have to be respected. i am convinced that the members of the house are patriots, and rightly so,

but i am as convinced that the members of the house will want to have a good future relationship with the european union. if the patrol agreement get the approval of the house, the european union is ready to begin negotiations on the future relationship. the team is in place, our tireless and extreme the skilled chief negotiator michel barnier will be at the head of the scene. we are ready. the united kingdom may be leaving our union, but it will not be leaving our hearts and mind. we are bound together by common history and geography, our personal ties, friendships, relationships run deep, and this will never change. it is with this in mind that i hope and trust that today's mini for reinsurance use will be minimal enough for the meaningful vote tomorrow. let's not bring this withdrawal to a good. we owe it to

history. after much 17, we have been negotiating to to find an agreement which we are bound to take. but it is still a sad day for the european union, but in democracy, we need to respect the choice of the people. today's agreement is there to prove it. thank you. last november, after two years of hard—fought negotiations, i'll agree to brexit deal with the eu that i passionately believed delivers on the decision taken by the british people to leave the european union. over the last

four months, i had made the case for that deal in westminster and across the uk. i stand by what that deal achieves for my country. it means we regain control of a loss, by ending the jurisdiction regain control of a loss, by ending thejurisdiction of regain control of a loss, by ending the jurisdiction of the european court ofjustice in the uk, regain control of our borders by ending free movement, regain control of our money, by ending fast on your payments to the eu, the end of the common agricultural policy and the common fisheries policy, for british farmers and fishermen, and independent trade policy. and the deal sets us on course for a good future relationship with herfriends and allies in the eu. a close economic partnership that is good for business, ongoing security cooperation to keep our peoples say. they deal honours the referendum result and is good for both the uk and the eu. but there was a clear

concern in parliament over one issue in particular, the northern ireland backstop. having an insurance policy to guarantee that they will never be a hard border in northern ireland is absolutely right. it honours the uk's solemn commitments in the belfast good friday agreement. but if we ever have to use that insurance policy, it cannot become a permanent arrangement, and it is not the template for a future relationship. the deal that mps voted on injanuary was not strong enoughin voted on injanuary was not strong enough in making that clear, and legally binding changes were needed to set that right. today, we have agreed them. first, a joint instrument with comparable legal way to the withdrawal agreement will guarantee that the eu cannot chat with the intent of applying the backstop indefinitely. if they do, it can be channelled through arbitration, and if they are fun to be in breach, the uk can't suspend the backstop. the joint judgment also gives a legal commitment that

whatever replaces the backstop does not need to replicated. and it entrenches in legally binding from the commitments made in the exchange of letters with presidents tusk and junker in january. second, of letters with presidents tusk and junker injanuary. second, the eu and the uk have made a joint statement in relation to the political declaration. it sets out a number of kim is to enhance and exit out the process of negotiating, and bring into force the future relationship. and it makes a legal commitment that the uk and eu probe began work immediately to replace the backstop with alternative arrangements by the end of december 2020. there will be a specific negotiating track on alternative arrangements from the very start of the next phase of negotiation. it will consider facilitation sun technologies, but is currently ready and emerging. and the uk's position will be informed by the three groups announced last week, for technical

experts, mps and business and trade unions. third, alongside thejoint instrument on the withdrawal agreement, the united kingdom government will make a unilateral declaration that if the backstop comes into use in discussions on average relationship breakdown, so that there is no prospect of subsequent agreement, it is a of the united kingdom that there would be nothing to prevent the uk instigating measures that would ultimately de supply the backstop. unilateral declarations are commonly used by states alongside the ratification of treaties. the attorney general will set out in the legal analysis the meaning of the joint instrument, i'd unilateral declaration to parliament. tomorrow, the house of commons will debate the improved deal that these legal changes have created. i will speak in more detail about them when i open that debate. mps were clear that changes were needed to the backstop. today, we have secured legal changes. now is it time to come together, to back this improved

brexit deal, and to deliver on the instruction of the british people. we have time for summer questions. thank you very much. adam fleming from the bbc. prime minister, have you secure at a time limit to the backstop, or a unilateral exit mechanism from the backstop? and presidentjunker, mechanism from the backstop? and president junker, there is mechanism from the backstop? and presidentjunker, there is any of this change the contents of the deal at all? what we have secured as i said is legally binding changes, which is exactly what permit us to secure. what we have secured is very clearly that the backstop cannot be indefinite. i cannot become permanent but it is only temporary. if it is the case that we were ever to get into the backstop, but what we have also secured, and what parliament was very clear that it wanted, was at alternative arrangements could you post a backstop, and as i have said here, there is timetable for that, so such

alternative arrangements would be in place at the end of december 20 20s, so that if there was... it was necessary to use the insurance policy, it would not be necessary to use a backstop, because i would be alternative arrangements to replace the backstop is parliament requested. the instrument we agreed uponis requested. the instrument we agreed upon is respecting in spirit and letter by letter the conclusions of the european council has agreed to back years ago. this deal, this instrument, this arrangement, this treaty, we have agreed upon today is complementing the withdrawal agreement without reopening it. prime minister, mr president, mark stone from sky news. has a single pa rt of stone from sky news. has a single part of the withdrawal agreement changed as a result of your meeting

tonight? and has the attorney general told you that he will therefore changes legal advice? and to mrjunker, do you believe that this will believe that this will go through tomorrow, and if it doesn't, are due clear, like you have said, that that is it, there will be no further changes? with illegal legal incident that we have agreed is an addition to the withdrawal agreement. it has the same legal status as the withdrawal agreement. it is legally binding. that is what parliament asked us to secure, and thatis parliament asked us to secure, and that is what we have secured. the attorney general, as you know, is independent. people come to his decision, he will publish its legal opinion before parliament, so that parliament has a before it comes to vote tomorrow. i thinki parliament has a before it comes to vote tomorrow. i think i was rather clear moments ago. there will be no new negotiations. it is us. and i am grateful to the prime minister, despite the difficulties we had, not

between us, but for the franc to determine where she was able and i was able to reach it. thank you. what are the implications of the unilateral withdrawal mechanism on the backstop? as in, can the uk decided it no longer wants to be pa rt of decided it no longer wants to be part of the backstop? does it diminish the backstop in any way? is the backstop still legally operable as interpreter before ? the backstop still legally operable as interpreter before? the unilateral circulation sets out the uk's position in certain sets of circumstances. but let's be clear about this, we have both described the backstop as an insurance policy. that is what it is therefore. it is the intention up a site that dutch insurer policy should never need to be used. if it were the case that it was necessary to use the insurance policy, particularly as france.

krishna, one of the requester parliament had, and had a majority vote for, that it should be possible to replace a backstop with alternative arrangements. we have secured within this very clear timetable that enables the backstop as defined currently to be replaced with alternative arrangements. but the intent of both sides is very clear. we want a good future relationship between the uk and the eu, and we will work out to ensure that that future relationship has been negotiated, has been agreed by the end of december 2020, such that the end of december 2020, such that the backstop need never come into place. disc includes a press conference. thank you all. connect. you are watching bbc news. it is just approaching 11pm. you are watching bbc news. it is just approaching "pm. that is midnight in strasbourg, where there isa midnight in strasbourg, where there is a news conference has been taking

place. you saw theresa may along with a chunk junker, place. you saw theresa may along with a chunkjunker, the president of the european commission, who is now addressing, has not been addressing that meeting of generals. the headlines: the prime minister is in strasbourg tonight — theresa may says she has secured a deal. she's been holding talks with the eu hoping to secure some last—minute assurances on the brexit deal, which would be put to the vote in the house of commons tomorrow. today we have secured legal changes. now we must come together to go with this backed brexit deal and deal with the instruction of the british people. the head of the european commission, jean—claude juncker said