Brexit: UK PM stares at defeat of deal, uncertainty
RUSH TO DISASTER? Scenarios range from no-deal exit to general elections
LONDON : Appeals of support by Prime Minister Theresa May and clarifications by the EU failed to change minds of her allies and critics, making it unlikely that the controversial withdrawal agreement will be passed in the House of Commons on Tuesday.
Another minister resigned over the deal on Monday: Gareth Johnson, who quit as minister in the Whips Office, took the total of resignations to 13 since the pact was published in November.
Senior cabinet minister and leading Brexiteer Liam Fox admitted that May’s deal is unlikely to be passed when it is put to vote on Tuesday.
A five-page letter by EU leaders Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker that May hoped would assuage concerns of MPs on the key issue of ‘backstop’ for Northern Ireland was rejected by her allies and critics alike for containing little more than warm words and good intent.
May was told categorically in the letter that “we (the EU) are not in a position to agree to anything that changes or is inconsistent with the withdrawal agreement,” riling the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which is propping up the minority May government.
DUP leader Nigel Dodds said: “Despite a letter of supposed reassurance from the EU, there are no ‘legally-binding assurances’ as the prime minister talked about in December. In fact, there is nothing new .”
“Instead of meaningless letters, the prime minister should now ask for and deliver changes to the withdrawal agreement”.
Added Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer: “The prime minister has once again failed to deliver. This is a long way from the significant and legally effective commitment the prime minister promised. It is a reiteration of the EU’s existing position. Once again, nothing has changed”.
Westminster was busy discussing various scenarios in the event of the government losing the vote. According to May, the country will move into “uncharted territory” if the agreement is not endorsed.
Possible scenarios include a ‘no-deal Brexit’ on March 29, renegotiating the current agreement with Brussels, another midterm election, another referendum and a vote of no-confidence moved by the opposition Labour.
Labour insisted that there are several precedents in British political history from 1807 to 1974 of holding elections when the country faced “parliamentary stagnation and national crisis”.
INDIAN-ORIGIN MPS TO VOTE AGAINST DEAL
Most of the 12 Indian-origin MPs in the House of Commons are likely to vote against May’s deal, though for differing reasons. There are seven of them from Labour and five from the ruling Conservative party.
While Labour has announced its intention to vote against the agreement, it will also be opposed by Indian-origin Conservative MPs, going by their stances since the 2016 Brexit referendum. The seven Labour MPs are: Virendra Sharma, Keith Vaz, Lisa Nandy, Seema Malhotra, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Preet Kaur Gill and Valerie Vaz. The five Conservative MPs are: Priti Patel, Alok Sharma, Rishi Sunak, Suella Braverman and Shailesh Vara.
A leading Brexiteer, Patel has strongly opposed the agreement: “We should not be frightened to reject the deal agreed by the EU and UK. We should instead fully prepare, pursue a renegotiation and get Britain ready to make a success of the opportunities that come with Brexit.”
Vara, who resigned as minister in the Northern Ireland Office in November when the draft agreement was published, wrote to May: “The people of the UK deserve better. That is why I cannot support this agreement.”