Reject deal and ditch charlatan

THERE was so much spin after Boris Johnson’s talks with EU leaders that you could be forgiven for thinking the summit had taken place at Wimbledon.

Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, described the new Brexit Withdrawal Agreement as “fair and balanced”.

Johnson, the biggest political charlatan of his generation, said with a straight face that he had negotiated a “great deal”. The man who helped bring down both his predecessors then urged MPs to “come together” and back him tomorrow.

MPs should not be fooled, as Johnson’s deal is almost the same as the one Theresa May failed to get through the House of Commons.

The key difference is on Northern Ireland, which will be aligned to the EU single market and not face the prospect of a backstop. It will also remain part of the UK’s customs territory.

The truth is any Brexit – hard, soft, deal or no deal – will do huge economic damage to the UK. We will be out of the single market and the customs union and we will say goodbye to the best free trade deal we could ever hope for.

Johnson’s dodgy deal will put up extra barriers to trade and make it harder for Britons to live and work in the EU. Our living standards will go down, our tax take will fall and public spending will take a bigger hit.

There is no easy solution to this national trauma but one thing is clear. MPs must reject the new agreement on Saturday and remove Johnson from office.