The risk of accidentally crashing out of the EU without a deal has been described as “very high” by a key EU architect of the Brexit deal, with parliamentary backing for changes to the backstop likely to be met with a brick wall in Brussels.
Senior Conservative MPs are seeking to form a majority in a Commons vote on Tuesday calling for Theresa May to demand an alternative plan to the Irish backstop for avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland.
But on Monday, EU officials and diplomats said the amendment tabled by the Tory MP Graham Brady, and backed by Downing Street, failed to offer any clue as to what the alternative arrangement is that parliament could support.
As far as I can understand: Too many conservatives don't like the backstop (and they're not entirely wrong). The EU isn't going to change what they're willing to agree to unless it's "harder" which while a vague term basically means appealing to the nutters more. They might agree to something "softer" but the only way to get through Parliament is to do it with Labour support, which to May is like killing children (assuming May dislikes killing children?). So that leaves...