Politics

Theresa May's magnificent Brexit glare as MP says her deal was better than Boris


You probably don’t feel much pity for Theresa May.

But you can still agree it’s not simple being the former PM.

Her Brexit deal went down to a spectacular 230-vote defeat, only for Boris Johnson to bring back a “worse” one – and have a sniff of victory.

So you can understand if she’s a bit testy when MPs complain today’s agreement is worse than hers ever was.

Why, she might ask, didn’t you bloody approve my one then?

The former Prime Minister doesn’t speak much in Parliament these days. But she does sit in the Commons – and her looks often give her away.

None so much as her icy thousand-yard stare to Ian Blackford, one of the MPs complaining her deal was better than what’s now on offer.

 

Why, she might ask, didn’t you bloody approve my one then?

The former Prime Minister sat next to longest-serving MP Ken Clarke

 

The SNP Westminster leader said: ” The Prime Minister has returned from Brussels to present a deal that we all know is actually worse than Theresa May ’s deal.

“It is a deal that would see Scotland shafted by this United Kingdom Government and left at an economic disadvantage.

“With Scotland’s views and interests totally disregarded by this Prime Minister and his Government.”

She didn’t say anything – but boy, did she glower.

  

It came as Parliament sat on a Saturday for the first time since 1982 to approve or reject Boris Johnson ’s Brexit deal

 

There are several reasons why  MPs are saying Boris Johnson’s deal – which is 64 pages of amendments to Theresa May’s – is worse.

Mr Johnson won a victory by getting rid of the ‘Irish backstop’, which would have trapped the whole of the UK inside EU customs rules indefinitely.

But in return, he’s had to set up what the DUP say is effectively a customs border down the Irish Sea – splitting Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.

Read More

Brexit news and Brexit explained

That’s because although legally the customs border is between Northern Ireland and the Republic, in practice, customs checks will happen when goods arrive by sea or air.

Meanwhile Northern Ireland will also share some EU single market rules with the Republic, forcing more checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea.

And the DUP will not get a veto over these arrangements – they would last until 2025 at least, and then continue if backed by a simple majority in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

MPs packed into the House of Commons chamber

Speaker John Bercow presided over proceedings

It came as Parliament sat on a Saturday for the first time since 1982 to approve or reject Boris Johnson ’s Brexit deal.

At the same time, tens or hundreds of thousands of protesters were set to descend on Westminster demanding a second referendum – a “People’s Vote”.

But the vote risked becoming a total damp squib after MP Oliver Letwin tabled an amendment that will force a delay, win or lose – and put off the final decision until later.

That prompted No10 to threaten to pull or sit out the vote to avoid handing a symbolic victory to the expelled Tory and his Labour allies.

Today’s vote was already on a knife edge as victory hinged on just a few Labour MPs in Leave seats.

Last night Boris Johnson unveiled a last-minute offer on workers’ rights after his deal watered them down. But it was slammed by Labour’s leadership and the TUC as not worth the paper it’s written on.

Boris Johnson began speaking in the Commons at 9.30am with the final vote expected this afternoon.

Boris Johnson finally agreed a Brexit deal with the EU on 17 October 2019 – though it stills need approval from MPs and could face a narrow defeat.

The 64-page list of amendments keeps a transition period up to 31 December 2020 and the £39bn divorce bill. But it scraps the Irish backstop, an insurance policy designed at preventing a hard border between Northern Ireland the Republic.

In the backstop’s place would effectively be ‘two borders’ in a hybrid system:

  1. Northern Ireland and Britain would share a legal customs territory – technically forcing customs checks on goods crossing the 310-mile border with the Republic. But in practice, to avoid checks at the border, the checks will instead happen when goods reach Northern Ireland on the island of Ireland. Critics say this puts a customs border across the Irish Sea – more of this below.
  2.  

  3. Northern Ireland and the Republic would share some EU single market rules – forcing checks on manufactured and agricultural products crossing the Irish Sea.

The Northern Ireland Assembly – known as Stormont – will get a vote every four years on whether to let EU law continue. But this vote could be passed by a simple majority – denying the DUP a veto on staying under EU laws long-term.

Meanwhile commitments on workers’ rights are deprioritised – moved to the non-legally-binding Political Declaration for agreement later.

For a full explainer click here.

  





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.