ANY new British prime minister will still face the problem of what to do with the Irish border after Brexit, Michel Barnier has warned.
Managing the border and designing an emergency “backstop” solution to prevent the return of a hard border after Brexit has proven the most contentious element of negotiations between London and the European Union.
Michel Barnier, the EU’s Brexit negotiator, said yesterday that the problem would not go away after British Prime Minister Theresa May steps down.
Barnier said: “The problem is there, created by Brexit. We have to protect peace.
“Stability is not a question of goods or customs. It’s a question about people in Ireland, on both sides.”
“In any case, a new prime minister will not change the problem. The problem is there and the new prime minister will have the responsibility with us to solve this problem.”
May today ended her turbulent reign as Tory leader as rivals to replace her step up their campaigns.
The low-key resignation saw Mrs May write to the joint acting chairmen of the backbench Conservative 1922 Committee confirming the announcement she made a fortnight ago in Downing Street.
‘GET BREXIT DONE’
She will remain Prime Minister until Tory MPs and members complete the process of choosing her successor in late July.
Mrs May spent her last day as Tory leader in her Maidenhead constituency.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, one of the 11 declared candidates in the race to replace her, warned there would be “no future” for the party unless Brexit is resolved.
Boris Johnson, the bookmakers’ favourite to replace May, has said that unless the UK’s withdrawal from the EU is completed by October 31 an election would see Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in Downing Street.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove, another leading contender, said the Peterborough by-election result was a message that “we’ve got to come back together as a party and work together to get Brexit done”.
The Peterborough election saw the Tories slump to third place, behind victors Labour and the Brexit Party, in a seat which had traditionally been a Conservative-Labour marginal.
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The nominations process for the new leader will be completed on Monday, with candidates requiring the support of eight MPs to enter the race.
Under the timetable set out by the party high command, it is expected the new leader will be in place in the week beginning July 22, following a ballot of the party members.
A Number 10 spokeswoman said that, during her final weeks in office, Mrs May“will be focused on delivering and building on the domestic agenda that she has put at the heart of her premiership since she became Prime Minister”.