Ireland knocks back Polish proposal to break Brexit deadlock over backstop

The Prime Minister is to set out her "Plan B" for getting her Brexit arrangements through in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon.

"Sympathy, patience and readiness to wait until the UK's position will be clarified are of utmost important to avoid the worst", warned Mr Altmaier. "She's refusing to do so and I think she's hoping that Parliament will do this for her - that is not leadership".

"I do not think she can convince MPs by presenting the same agreement with some tweaks", he said.

Conservative lawmaker Nicky Morgan said she and several opposition colleagues planned to introduce a bill to ensure "that if the prime minister can't get an agreement approved by the House of Commons by the end of February", the United Kingdom will ask the European Union to postpone its departure date "so that we can build a consensus and get ourselves more prepared for Brexit". "We can not continue negotiating something, as it has happened this time, and when everything is negotiated, the parliament rejects it".

As she tries to navigate a way through competing visions for the future from a second referendum to staying in the EU, Mrs May told ministers on Sunday she was looking for ways to make the so-called Northern Irish backstop more acceptable to her Conservative Party and Northern Irish allies.

Downing Street said it is "extremely concerned" by the backbenchers' moves.

"We know what London doesn't want", he said.

Her plan is likely to be attacked from all fronts as separate factions attempt to bend the Brexit process to their will.

The comments come after Health Minister Steve Brine told BBC Radio overnight that he would find it "very, very hard" to stay in government if the May pursued a no-deal Brexit.

Maas said "nerves are raw" about the threat posed by Brexit to peace on the island of Ireland, after a auto bomb exploded outside a Londonderry police station on Saturday.

According to the report, May was considering rewriting the 1998 accord to assure Ireland that the United Kingdom is committed to no hard border on the island after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union in March.

Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney was adamant over the weekend the backstop - meant to ensure there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic - was an essential part of the Withdrawal Agreement.

"For the German government this border issue is - we are a country that also had a border running through it - one of special sensitivity and we will closely cooperate with our Irish colleagues", he said. "I don't think that reflects European Union thinking in relation to the withdrawal agreement".

"It is not up to us, it is up to the Brits to express themselves. I hope for wisdom to prevail".

Speaking on Monday morning, Irish Minister for Europe Helen McEntee said changes to the peace agreement - endorsed by people in both Northern Ireland the Republic - was "not something" the Irish Government would consider.