European governments and EU officials say they are puzzled by recent optimistic reports in the British press of an emerging Brexit deal.



As the clock ticks down to Brexit day, the UK press is once again rife with stories suggesting imminent breakthroughs and speculation that a “deal in the desert” could be signed in Sharm El-Sheikh on the sidelines of an EU-League of Arab States summit taking place in Egypt this weekend.

Some outlets have also reported claims that, if all else fails, Theresa May and the 27 other heads of government will simply hold all-night talks to bash out an agreement days before the UK is scheduled to depart the European Union.



When asked about the reports, one senior EU official replied, “[it is] wishful thinking.”



Another EU source said there was no chance of a “deal in the desert.”

“It’s rather a ‘mirage’ or [a] ‘hallucination,’” said the source.

European governments think they have seen this film before — and it doesn’t end well.



“It is reminiscent of December,” a senior official from a major European government said.



May went into December’s European Council meeting of EU leaders seeking legally binding changes to the backstop — the insurance policy that guarantees no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland under all circumstances.

She was rebuffed then, and, two months later, little of substance has changed except for the passage of more time and the erosion of trust between the two sides.

The prime minister is under intense pressure to find a path forward after MPs voted in favour of the Brady amendment last month, which rejected the terms of the backstop proposed and agreed to by the UK.

May, as well as other officials and ministers, has been shuttling to Brussels and Europe’s capitals seeking a way out of the impasse. This, the UK says, could include a unilateral exit mechanism, the introduction of a clause to time-limit the backstop, or ways to replace the backstop with as yet undefined “alternative arrangements” that avoid a hard border.

She is due to meet Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday evening to take stock of recent talks. Speaking at a conference on Tuesday, the president of the European Commission said he wasn’t expecting a breakthrough.

An EU official told BuzzFeed News that the UK hadn’t put forward any concrete, new, or workable proposals during meetings that have taken place in recent weeks.

