Brexit plans are ‘flawed’
CITY MPS HIT OUT AFTER PRIME MINISTER POSTPONES CRUCIAL COMMONS VOTE
Sunderland MPs say the move by Theresa May to hold off on a vote over her Brexit proposal shows it is flawed.
The Prime Minister has called off today’s vote on the deal because it “would be rejected by a significant margin”.
She has said while members backed much of the agreement she has come to with the EU, there were still concerns over the Northern Irish border backstop and she wants to allow MPs to place obligations on the Government to ensure it cannot be in place indefinitely.
Once more, she has rejected all other alternatives proposed, including another referendum and leaving without a deal, and said her plans “gives us control of our borders, our money and our laws – it protects jobs, security and our Union”.
But she does believe she can get the deal through if she addressed the issues of her fellow MPs and says that is what she aims to do within coming days.
In response, Speaker John Bercow– who chairs debates in the House of Commons – called on the Government to give MPs a vote on whether today’s vote should be cancelled, saying it was the “right and obvious” thing to do given how angry some MPs were about the cancellation.
Sunderland Central MP Julie Elliott, a Labour member, said: “In delaying the meaningful vote in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister has made clear that there is no support for her damaging Brexit agreement.
“It is a deal that would make Britain poorer, and it is a deal that threatens jobs and security.
“It is obvious that the Prime Minister is unable to negotiate a deal that benefits the United Kingdom, and that protects the jobs and livelihoods of those of us in the North East.
“She should put it to a People’s vote, and let the people decide the future of this country.”
Fellow Labour member Sharon Hodgson, MP for Washington and Sunderland West, said the PM said: ‘‘Even by this Government’s standards, the events we have seen today are extraordinary.
“I am in no doubt that many of my constituents will be looking on at what the Prime Minister is doing in absolute horror.
“Every day that this chaos continues, the country suffers more.
“If the Prime Minister is no longer able to command a majority in Parliament, she should step aside.”