Hunt: Brexit talks centre on defining ‘temporary’

Bloomberg

The UK’s main focus in Brexit talks with its European Union counterparts is for a definition of the word “temporary” that persuades British lawmakers the country won’t be permanently tied to the bloc’s trade arrangements, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said.
Prime Minister Theresa May deferred a parliamentary vote on the Brexit deal she negotiated with Brussels, acknowledging she didn’t have the support to pass it.
Ahead of a re-scheduled vote the week of January 14, May’s seeking reassurances from the EU on the so-called Northern Ireland backstop — a provision to ensure the UK border with Ireland remains open even if Britain and the EU fail to negotiate a trade deal by the end of 2020.
May had phone calls with other EU leaders during the Christmas break, though her office said this week there was “still work to do.” The bloc has said it won’t reopen the agreed text for negotiation, but Hunt said Britain is not asking for anything new.
“The EU has agreed that the backstop is temporary and that’s a word they have agreed,” Hunt told the BBC. “What we are saying very simply is ‘we’re not asking for anything new, but we are asking you to define what temporary means so that we can have confidence that we’re not going to be trapped in the customs union forever.’”
In broadcast comments to reporters in Singapore, Hunt said that once May secures reassurances from the EU, “she will find a way to get this deal through Parliament.” He warned against a no-deal Brexit and a second referendum.