Iran Press/Europe: By 317 votes to 301, MPs in the House of Commons gave their backing to May's deal which they rejected earlier this month, providing changes are made to the so-called Irish backstop border issue.
With just 59 days to go until exit day, the 16 majority for her deal gives May a mandate to return to Brussels to call for a re-opening of negotiations, and indicates that the Brexit deal is likely to win the critical final vote in British parliament if changes are made to the Irish border issue, Reuters reported.
May and her senior advisers are not waving victory flags at the moment, with the developments in London receiving a frosty reaction in Brussels and Dublin.
Within minutes of the Commons result the European council president, Donald Tusk, announced that the EU was not prepared to reopen the deal.
“The withdrawal agreement is, and remains, the best and only way to ensure an orderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union,” a spokesman for Tusk said. “The backstop is part of the withdrawal agreement, and the withdrawal agreement is not open for renegotiation.”
The Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said in a statement issued later in Dublin, "The withdrawal agreement is not open for re-negotiation."
Referring to the withdrawal agreement agreed between EU leaders and May, Varadkar said it is a carefully negotiated compromise, which balances the UK position on customs and the single market with avoiding a hard border and protecting the integrity of the EU customs union and single market. He said Ireland will continue its preparations for all outcomes, including for a no-deal scenario. 101/ 211 //202
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