Theresa May is locked in Brexit hell

British Prime Minister Theresa May held meetings with European leaders Tuesday hoping to renegotiate a disastrous Brexit deal that the EU has already said is not open for renegotiation.

The head of the European Commission confirmed bluntly Tuesday there was “no room whatsoever” to change the agreement.

May headed to The Hague, Berlin and Brussels after Monday’s political chaos in London left the Brexit process in turmoil. Adding to the circus, May was locked in her car in Germany Tuesday as Chancellor Angela Merkel waited for her on the red carpet.

Parliament had been scheduled to hold a vote on May’s EU withdrawal agreement, negotiated with the European Union, on Tuesday. But with the unpopular deal looking certain to be voted down by Parliament, May suddenly withdrew the bill Monday and said she would instead go back to Europe for concessions.

The move caused outrage among the political establishment and prompted the pound to plummet. Even more damning for May is the frank message from Europe that it is not prepared to budge.

Speaking to MEPs in Strasbourg Tuesday, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker made clear there was no chance for negotiation.

“The deal we achieved is the best deal possible, it is the only deal possible. There is no room whatsoever for renegotiation,” he said, ahead of his meeting with May in Brussels.

May acknowledged Monday that there was “widespread and deep concern” over the contentious Northern Ireland backstop — an arrangement designed to ensure there is no return to a “hard border” between EU member Ireland and Northern Ireland, part of the UK, after Brexit.

It would achieve this by keeping the entire U.K. in a customs union with the EU, and Northern Ireland within parts of the bloc’s single market, until an alternative is negotiated.

The delay of the parliamentary vote has loosened May’s grip on power — and fueled speculation as to whether the U.K. will ever actually leave the EU.

Britain is supposed to submit its official position on the Brexit deal to the EU, after having voted on it in Parliament, by Jan. 21, although time is running out to make that deadline.

That in turn has raised prospects of a potentially disastrous “no-deal Brexit,” where Britain would crash out of the EU on March 29 with no transitional arrangements in place.

The political chaos has fueled renewed calls from so-called Remainers for a second, do-over referendum, choosing between May’s deal and cancelling Brexit. Their hopes were buoyed by a European Court of Justice ruling Monday that the U.K. could unilaterally revoke Article 50 — the legal notification that it plans to leave the EU.

READ MORE: It’s not too late for Britain to pull out of Brexit, court rules

The government says it won’t revoke Article 50, but the opposition Labour Party has indicated it may campaign for a second referendum if May’s Brexit deal is voted down by Parliament and a general election isn’t called.

Parliament held an emergency debate Tuesday on May’s last-minute cancellation, which opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said showed her government had “lost control of events and is in complete disarray.” Corbyn is facing growing pressure to call for a no-confidence vote in May’s leadership.

Cover image: German Chancellor Angela Merkel prepares to greet British Prime Minister Theresa May upon May's arrival for talks at the Chancellery on December 11, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)