The chief whip has told Conservative MPs that the government could reopen the Brexit withdrawal agreement with the EU if parliament sends a message to Brussels that it will vote for a deal with legally binding changes to the backstop.



Over a series of meetings with Tory backbenchers on both the Remain and Leave sides this week, details of which have been shared with BuzzFeed News, Julian Smith lobbied colleagues to help Theresa May pressure the EU into making concessions on the backstop, the insurance policy that keeps the Irish border open in all circumstances.

At one meeting, Smith asked MPs if they would support an amendment in the name of 1922 committee chair Graham Brady, which says they would back a deal if the backstop is “replaced with alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border”, according to a source familiar with the discussion.

In earlier talks, Smith discussed coordinating a letter signed by Brexiteers from the European Research Group explicitly stating that they would vote for the withdrawal agreement if the backstop was changed. The plan for a letter was later dropped as focus was directed to an amendment.

Another source said Smith indicated the government could attempt to reopen the withdrawal agreement, something the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier ruled out three times in an interview on Monday. EU and European government officials have also repeatedly rejected suggestions that the backstop could be time-limited.

Smith declined to comment when approached by BuzzFeed News.