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May defends under-fire Brexit plan: 'a deal is within our grasp' May defends under-fire Brexit plan: 'a deal is within our grasp'
(about 1 hour later)
Theresa May has attempted to sell her Brexit plan to MPs by reassuring rebel Conservatives over issues such as the Irish backstop, fishing and Gibraltar, but received a chilly reception from both Brexiters and remainers. Theresa May’s hopes of selling her Brexit plan in parliament were dealt a further blow on Thursday as Tory MPs lined up to condemn the new draft, including veteran Eurosceptics Owen Paterson and Iain Duncan Smith, whom the prime minister had name-checked in the hope of winning their support.
Heralding the 26-page declaration on the UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the European Union, to be agreed by EU leaders at a summit on Sunday, May told the Commons that a deal was “now within our grasp” and would benefit both sides.Heralding the 26-page declaration on the UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the European Union, to be agreed by EU leaders at a summit on Sunday, May told the Commons that a deal was “now within our grasp” and would benefit both sides.
However, after Jeremy Corbyn condemned the declaration as “26 pages of waffle”, Tory MPs from both sides of the Brexit divide urged the prime minister to think again. Yet almost 40 minutes went by in the chamber before MPs began to offer supportive words to the prime minister, in a two-and-a-half-hour session of MPs’ questions after her statement.
Many pro-Brexit Conservatives pointed to the lack of significant movement on the operation of the planned backstop insurance policy for the Irish border, something Boris Johnson said “makes a complete nonsense of Brexit”. May said there was “an explicit commitment to consider facilitative arrangement and technologies to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland”, and thanked Iain Duncan Smith and Owen Paterson for their input on that clause, having seen them in Downing Street last week.
Painting the agreement as a bespoke and carefully negotiated plan, May told MPs it disproved the idea that the only relationships on offer would be Norway or Canada. “The text we have now agreed would create a new free trade area with the EU, with no tariffs, fees, charges or quantitative restrictions. This will be the first such agreement from the EU with any advanced economy in the world – and will be good for jobs,” she said. Her thanks were jeered by some Tory MPs, yet Paterson and Duncan Smith later said May had not done enough on the issue. Duncan Smith, the former work and pensions secretary, said he still had severe concerns about the backstop and had not been won round by the pledges in the draft political declaration.
“Crucially the text we have agreed has an explicit reference to the development of an independent trade policy by the UK beyond this partnership with the EU, so we would have the abilities to sign new trade deals and capitalise on new trade deals with the fastest-growing economies around the world. We will be able to get on with this negotiating deals during the transition period.” He said his own red line was the removal of the backstop from the legally-binding withdrawal agreement. “I would hope that she would now consider that none of this is at all workable unless we get the withdrawal agreement amended and so that any arrangements we make strip out that backstop and leave us with that,” he said.
May said there was “an explicit commitment to consider facilitative arrangement and technologies to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland”, and thanked Iain Duncan Smith and Owen Paterson for their input on that, which was jeered by some Tory MPs. Paterson and Duncan Smith saw the prime minister in Downing Street last week. Paterson also warned that the inclusion of the backstop meant “the horror of Northern Ireland being split off” from the UK remained.
Mindful of the hostile response of many Brexiter MPs on her benches to the plan, May sought to reassure them on a series of other sensitive issues, saying that on fishing there would be no trade-off between fishing rights and other areas. His concerns were also echoed by Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, chief whip of the government’s confidence and supply partners, the DUP, who said the support of his party was conditional on the eradication of the backstop.
May also reiterated that she had held talks about Gibraltar with Spain, saying: “I was absolutely clear that Gibraltar’s British sovereignty will be protected.” “If she wants to have the support of my party for the withdrawal agreement then we need to see an end to the backstop and those alternative arrangements put in place.”
She ended: “The British people want Brexit to be settled. They want a good deal that sets us on course for a brighter future. And they want us to come together as a country and to move on and focus on the big issues at home. The deal that will enable us to do this, is now within our grasp. In these crucial 72 hours, I will do everything in my power to deliver this to the British people.” Among others criticising the deal were departed cabinet ministers Dominic Raab and Boris Johnson, who said it “makes a complete nonsense of Brexit”.
Corbyn, speaking afterwards, said the declaration was “a testament to the failure of the Tories’ bungled negotiations”. The Labour leader said the plan breached both May’s red lines for the talks, and his party’s stated six tests. Johnson, the former foreign secretary, said May should “junk forthwith the backstop”. It was, he said, the “hard reality of the withdrawal agreement that gives the EU a continuing veto over the unilateral power of the entire United Kingdom to do free-trade deals or to take back control of our laws”.Raab said the backstop plan left the UK “with no voice and an EU veto over our exit”. People’s desire for the UK to regain control from the EU had led many to support Brexit, he said, adding: “Isn’t it it the regrettable but inescapable reality that this deal gives even more [control] away?”
Corbyn added: “This half-baked deal is the product of two years of botched negotiations in which the prime minister’s red lines have been torn up, cabinet resignations have racked up, and Chequers has been chucked. Other Brexiters said they had wanted an excuse to back the prime minister but found the document lacking. Sir Edward Leigh, a veteran Eurosceptic who has resisted backing a no-confidence vote in May, said she must pledge to abandon the deal if the backstop was still needed in 2022.
“This is a vague menu of options. It is not a plan for the future and is not capable of bringing our country together.” “Will the prime minister help those of us that want to try to help her with this vote?” he said.
Duncan Smith, a long-time proponent of Brexit, said he still had severe concerns about the backstop. May said it was her intention that the backstop would never need to be used. “I’m very clear about my firm intention that we will be firmly in our future relationship with the EU by the time of the next general election, so that we can look the British people in the eye and say ‘you gave us an instruction to leave the EU and we delivered’,” she said.
He said: “I would hope that she would now consider that none of this is at all workable unless we get the withdrawal agreement amended and so that any arrangements we make strip out that backstop and leave us with that.” Remain-minded MPs on her benches also piled in to criticise the deal. Justine Greening said: “I don’t believe this is a good deal for Britain, and I don’t think many young people in our country think this is a good deal for Britain at all.”
Johnson, the former foreign secretary, said May should “junk forthwith the backstop”. It was, he said, the “hard reality of the withdrawal agreement that gives the EU a continuing veto over the unilateral power of the entire Unite Kingdom to do free trade deals or to take back control of our laws”. The former education secretary said that if a parliament voted against both May’s plan and a no-deal departure, “then the only right option is to go back to the people and allow them to have a final say”.
There was also opposition from Dominic Raab, who resigned as Brexit secretary last week over May’s agreement. The first MP to offer supportive words was the departed cabinet minister Damian Green, a friend of the prime minister.
Raab said the backstop plan left the UK “with no voice and an EU veto over our exit”. People’s desire for the UK to regain control from the EU had led many to support Brexit, he said, adding: “Isn’t it it the regrettable but inescapable reality that this deal gives even more [control] away?” “Outside this House there is a much higher appreciation of the tenacity of the prime minister in pursuing a successful deal,” he said, though he added that the prime minister needed to “calm fears” that the UK would be stuck in a backstop arrangement.The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, condemned the declaration as “26 pages of waffle”.Corbyn said the declaration was “a testament to the failure of the Tories’ bungled negotiations”.
May also received opposition from remain-minded MPs on her benches. Justine Greening said: “I don’t believe this is a good deal for Britain, and I don’t think many young people in our country think this is a good deal for Britain at all.” The leader of the opposition said the plan breached both May’s red lines for the talks, and his party’s stated six tests.
The former education secretary said that if a parliament voted against both May’s plan and a no-deal departure, “then the only right option then is to go back to the people and allow them to have a final say”. “This half-baked deal is the product of two years of botched negotiations in which the prime minister’s red lines have been torn up, cabinet resignations have racked up, and Chequers has been chucked. This is a vague menu of options,” he said.
“It is not a plan for the future and is not capable of bringing our country together.”
BrexitBrexit
House of CommonsHouse of Commons
Theresa MayTheresa May
Foreign policyForeign policy
European UnionEuropean Union
Article 50Article 50
Trade policyTrade policy
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