British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday said that she would be “armed with a fresh mandate and new ideas” when she meets European Union negotiators over her Brexit deal.
EU officials have insisted that the deal is not open for renegotiation.
But May wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that she would be “battling for Britain and Northern Ireland” in her efforts to get rid of the agreement’s unpopular backstop provision.
“If we stand together and speak with one voice, I believe we can find the right way forward,” she said.
The backstop is intended to ensure there is no return to a hard border with Ireland, but Brexit supporters fear it will keep Britain tied to the EU’s customs rules.
MPs voted last week to send May back to Brussels to renegotiate the clause, suggesting her deal would then be able to pass after it was roundly rejected in parliament last month.
“I am now confident there is a route that can secure a majority in the House of Commons for leaving the EU with a deal,” she wrote.
May has promised MPs that she will bring any revised deal back to be voted on by MPs on February 13.
