UK set to publish details of long-awaited Brexit plan
LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May will publish details yesterday of her long-awaited Brexit plan to restart talks with the EU, after facing down a revolt by eurosceptic ministers that could still unseat her.
In a policy paper, the government will outline proposals to allow Britain to maintain close economic and security ties with the European Union even after it leaves the bloc in March.
“It is a vision that respects the result of the referendum (vote to leave), and delivers a principled and practical Brexit,” Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said in the foreword.
But the plan has caused outrage among eurosceptic members of May’s Conservative party, and Raab’s predecessor David Davis and foreign minister Boris Johnson dramatically quit this week in protest.
Their departures, followed by a clutch of junior aides, destabilised May’s government and revived talk of a leadership challenge against her.
Theprimeministerisalso likely to face some opposition in Brussels, where officials have repeatedly warned Britain to lower its expectations about how close ties can be. Mayhasbriefedleadersincluding EU president Donald Tusk and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on her plan and reported a positive response, although they are awaiting the detail.
Britain does not have long to argue its case – both sides are aiming for a deal by October, to allow time for its ratification by the British and European parliaments.
Failure to agree would see Britain leave the EU without a deal, with the risk of huge economic disruption on both sides of the Channel.
Britain voted for Brexit in June 2016, but May has so far been unable to present a common position to Brussels on what she wants because of deep divisions in her government.
Amid warnings from businesses that continued uncertainty is risking investment and jobs, and fears time is running out, her cabinet finally agreed on a plan last week.
Britain would leave the EU’s single market and customs union as planned, to end free movement of people and sign its own non-EU trade deals.
But it would keep EU rules on goods to protect complex manufacturing supply chains, using technology to levy its own duties on UK-bound products from outside the bloc, while diverging on services.
“We need to rise to the challenge and grasp the opportunities” of Brexit, said Raab, adding that the policy represented a ‘balance’. — AFP