UK minister contradicts PM May on ‘no deal’ Brexit
LONDON : A cabinet minister sent Westminster into a tizzy on Wednesday by appearing to contradict Prime Minister Theresa May by stating that the Parliament will stop Brexit without a deal with the European Union.
“It’s my view that Parliament, the House of Commons, will stop ‘no deal’. There isn’t a majority in the House of Commons for that to take place,” the newly appointed minister Amber Rudd told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
May had repeatedly warned that “no deal is better than a bad deal”, but Rudd’s view was more aligned to that of the opposition Labour and others who believe the current agreement negotiated by May can be improved by a new government, so that the UK does not bear the economic and other consequences of leaving the EU without a deal.
Rudd, however, added that when the agreement to be finalised by the European Council in Brussels on Sunday is put to the House of Commons, MPs would “take a careful look over the abyss” and decide it was in the “best interests of the country” to vote for May’s withdrawal agreement.
Rudd’s comments were welcomed by the opposition Labour. Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer said: “Amber Rudd seems to have ignored Number 10’s spin by admitting that Parliament would stop a no-deal Brexit.”
“If the prime minister’s deal is rejected, then MPs will not sit back and allow us to crash out of the EU without an agreement. Parliament will take back control.
“After these comments from Amber Rudd, it’s time for the government to drop the false choice between a bad deal and no deal, and to come forward with a plan that can command the majority support of Parliament.”
May again clashed with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in Parliament, before leaving for Brussels for talks on the political and other relationships with the EU after Brexit.
May insisted her agreement and yet-to-be finalised political arrangements were part of a package, adding that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”, and ruled out holding another referendum when told that public opinion had changed since the 2016 vote.