MAY’S FINEST HOUR
SHOW BRITAIN some respect, the Prime Minister yesterday demanded of EU leaders. And she’s right.
The self-serving 27 turned their backs on her in Salzburg and insulted our nation.
Whatever you think of her Brexit plan, Mrs May didn’t deserve to be treated as an outcast with a begging bowl. The PM was offered little by way of meaningful compromise, and much worse, treated with derision. Big mistake.
There’s nothing the British people hate more than bullies. Last night an online poll of 21,400 Express readers showed 81% supported her defiant stance.
Even die-hard Remainers are expressing their distaste at the intransigence and self-righteous rhetoric of Brussels. Yesterday the PM once again offered an olive branch, but with more than a hint of menace if it is rejected. Her steely resolve is sure to be further tested.
The stakes are high. It is now the turn of the EU to respond. We urge reason because the people are rallying behind their Prime Minister – and will face the consequences of a no-deal if it comes to that.
Mrs May’s speech was fair warning. It would be wise for the EU to heed it.
ANGRY Theresa May came out fighting yesterday against the EU’s arrogant dismissal of her Brexit blueprint.
In a steely statement from Downing Street, the Prime Minister accused European Union leaders of disrespecting Britain.
She singled out Eurocrat Donald Tusk for delivering an unacceptable eleventhhour rejection of her Chequers plan at this week’s informal EU summit in Austria.
She stepped up her insistence that she would rather leave the bloc without a deal than accept its current terms, and said it was up to the EU now to break the stalemate.
Mrs May said: “No one wants a good deal more than me but the European Union should be clear – I will not overturn the result of the referendum, nor will I break up my country.
Praise
“We need serious engagement on resolving the two big problems in the negotiations. We stand ready.”
Her declaration won some praise from key Eurosceptics after the ambush she suffered in Salzburg by EU leaders who she had expected to welcome her plans.
She will hope it buys her time to head off a revolt at the forthcoming Conservative party conference.
Mrs May admitted talks with Brussels had reached “an impasse”, six months before Britain is due to leave on March 29 next year.
But the ball was firmly in the EU’s court to put forward fresh ideas on the Northern Ireland border and trade, she said.
She also promised the people of Northern Ireland “that in the event of a no deal, we will do everything in our power to prevent a return to a hard border” with Ireland.
The border issue has become a major sticking point and Mrs May said the EU’s proposals were unacceptable.
Brussels had come up with just two ideas about future UK-EU economic relations, she noted.
One would make Britain obey all EU rules, accept uncontrolled immigration and prevent trade deals with other countries.
The EU’s second option envisaged keeping Northern Ireland in the customs union.
Mrs May added: “Anything which fails to respect the referendum or which effectively divides our country in two would be a bad deal and I have always said no deal is better than a bad deal.”
She said the best outcome would be for the UK to leave with a deal, which was why she had proposed a third option, based on frictionless trade in goods.
But on Thursday EU Council president Donald Tusk had said this would undermine the EU single market. Mrs May added: “He didn’t explain how in any detail or make any counter-proposal. So we are at an impasse.
“Throughout this process, I have treated the EU with nothing but respect.
“The UK expects the same. A good relationship at the end of this process depends on it. At this late stage in the negotiations, it is not acceptable to simply reject the other side’s proposals without a detailed explanation and counter proposals.
“So we now need to hear from the EU what the real issues are and what their alternative is so that we can discuss them. Until we do, we cannot make progress.”
Mrs May’s comments could be partly a sign that she is smarting over Mr Tusk’s mocking Instagram photo, showing him offering her a cake with the caption “Sorry, no cherries” – a reference to
the EU’s claim that Britain is trying to “cherry pick” the best bits of membership. UK sources also suggest his public denunciation of the Chequers plan was harsher than he had been in their private meeting.
Leading Tory Jacob Rees Mogg, who chairs the powerful European Research Group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs, welcomed Mrs May’s “strong and forthright” tone.
He said: “The Prime Minister has shown steely resolve at the eleventh hour and is standing up to the EU bullies. The next step is to say to the EU: £40billion and free trade or World Trade terms.”
Last night a poll on the Express website asked more than 21,000 people if they backed Theresa May’s tough stance on Brexit.
The findings revealed around 81 per cent supported the Prime Minister with just 16 per cent against and three per cent unsure.
‘No one wants a good deal more than me but the EU should be clear – I will not overturn the result of the referendum’
‘Anything which fails to respect the referendum would be a bad deal – I have always said no deal is better than a bad deal’
SHE was livid, that much was clear. Our normally extraordinarily calm Prime Minister looked as if she could barely contain herself when speaking about the contemptuous way in which she and her Government had been treated by the EU: lobbing the ball very firmly back into their court, she pointed out in a tone that combined suppressed passion with iciness that Britain treats the EU with respect and has every right to expect the same in return.
Indeed, while they were no doubt feeling very pleased with themselves after their ambush of Mrs May, EU leaders might be beginning to realise that they have scored a spectacular own goal. By turning down an agreement that many believe allowed for too many concessions, they have opened the door to something much less Brussels-friendly. And if we do walk away with no deal the EU will lose out a lot more than us.
And whatever Michel Barnier, Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker think about her Chequers proposal, Mrs May has made it clear that it is the only game in town. She is not prepared to ditch it and furthermore she expects some answers as to what it is exactly that they object to. It defies belief that the most senior EU leaders didn’t even have the courtesy to respond in detail to the offer – they simply turned it down with the high handedness that has come to define Brussels.
Which leads us to the PM herself. She was magnificent yesterday. Hers has been one of the most thankless premierships of modern times: apart from a brief honeymoon period, her tenure has been marked by conflict.
Across the Channel there has been utter intransigence from the EU leaders, who are not even bothering to hide the fact that they want to punish us as severely as they can.
Closer to home there have been bitter divisions and constant predictions of her political demise. And yet there she was, battling on for Britain, a veritable modern-day Boudicca. Mrs May should allow her emotions to surface a little more frequently as it suits her very well.
This extraordinarily resilient woman has been fighting for her country under conditions that would have floored a lesser mortal, and she reminded us yesterday why she got the job in the first place.
She is patriotic, diplomatic and tough. And she laid it on the line: she will not keep us in the EU in all but name, she will not hold a second referendum and she will not allow the de facto split of the Union by imposing a hard border with Northern Ireland. We are prepared to walk out with no deal. Messrs Barnier, Tusk and Juncker: over to you.