EU lawmaker offers backstop reassurances but steps in for customs union demand

The European Union can offer the UK more assurances over the Irish border 'backstop' in a political declaration on post-Brexit ties if London moves towards accepting a permanent customs union, a leading EU lawmaker dealing with Brexit said.

"If there is no openness on the UK side to include those assurances in the political declaration on the future EU-UK ties, the process could mechanically take us to no-deal," Danuta Hubner told Reuters.

The political declaration is a non-legally binding document that accompanies the legally binding withdrawal deal negotiated by the EU and Prime Minister Theresa May's government. The British parliament resoundingly rejected that deal two weeks ago and has told May to reopen negotiations with the EU on it.