Prime Minister rejects Brexit deal
● Brussels draft of agreement sparks dismay in No 10 ● ‘No prime minister could agree to this’ she tells MPS
A final deal on the terms of Brexit has been thrown into doubt, after Theresa May fiercely rejected a text drawn up by the European Commission.
The Prime Minister said the paper – which proposes a “common regulatory area” between the EU and Northern Ireland – would “threaten the constitutional integrity of the UK”.
Theresa May has thrown the UK’S divorce agreement with the EU into doubt ahead of crucial talks this month, warning she will not sign the European Commission’s draft withdrawal deal because it would “threaten the constitutional integrity of the UK”.
She said “no prime minister could ever agree” a fall-back option included in the document to keep the Irish border open after Brexit because it would see Northern Ireland inside the customs union, potentially creating new trade barriers between the province and the rest of the UK.
An EU proposal giving Spain a veto over how aspects of the deal will apply to Gibraltar is also set to spark a showdown in Brussels.
In December, Mrs May hailed agreement in principle with the EU on the first phase of Brexit, clearing the hurdle of “sufficient progress” and allowing transition and trade talks to begin. However, with a legally binding text needing to be agreed this month in order to launch those trade talks, further tough negotiations will be necessary both in Brussels and in London.
Last night there was further conflict within the Conservative Party on the horizon after the government confirmed that it was backing down on a key EU demand, giving European nationals arriving in the UK during a two-year postbrexit transition period full residency rights.
Brexit Secretary David Davis wrote to Tory MPS spelling out the government’s resistance to parts of the draft deal.
Mrs May must win the support of her full Cabinet at a meeting this morning, ahead of a crucial speech setting out her vision for the next phase of talks tomorrow.
Yesterday the Prime Minister told the House of Commons that the draft text – which proposes a “common regulatory area” between the EU and Northern Ireland – would “threaten the constitutional integrity of the UK”.
Released in Brussels by chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, the EU text puts into legal terms the joint report agreed by Mrs May and European Commission president Jean-claude Juncker in December, and is due to be agreed by the remaining 27 EU states next month.
However, Downing Street said that while it reflected the UK’S commitment to preventing a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, it did not include a requirement for there not to be a border in the Irish Sea.
The draft text spells out in detail how the principle of “regulatory alignment” agreed in December would be implemented if the UK fails to find technological or diplomatic solutions to keeping the border open. If such solutions are not found, the draft text states, “the territory of Northern Ireland, excluding the territorial waters of the United Kingdom … shall be considered to be part of the customs territory of the Union”.
Under the proposals, EU and UK customs authorities would jointly oversee movements between Northern Ireland and the British mainland, while Europe would retain control over aspects of taxation and state aid in the six counties.
The Scottish Government leapt on the draft plan, arguing that it meant Scotland could also remain part of the EU single market after Brexit.
“As we have made clear previously, if it is possible for Northern Ireland to effectively remain in the single market or customs union, the case for Scotland also doing so becomes a practical necessity,” said the SNP’S Brexit minister Michael Russell. “Anything else would put Scotland at a huge competitive disadvantage when it comes to attracting jobs and investment.”
Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster condemned the Brussels text as “constitutionally unacceptable” and potentially “catastrophic” for Northern Ireland.
Answering questions in the Commons less than an hour after the publication of the text, Mrs May told MPS: “The draft legal text the Commission have published would, if implemented, undermine the UK common market and threaten the constitutional integrity of the UK by creating a customs and regulatory border down the Irish Sea, and no UK prime minster could ever agree to it. I will be making it crystal clear to president Juncker and others that we will never do so.”
She said she stood by the deal struck in December, but left no doubt that she wants the withdrawal text rewritten, stating that UK negotiators would talk to Brussels about how the joint report “should be translated into legal form in the withdrawal agreement”.
Mr Barnier denied the proposals on Northern Ireland were deliberately designed to provoke the UK into action, saying: “I am not trying to provoke. I am not trying to create any shockwaves.”
He signalled his frustration at the lack of progress in the negotiations, telling a Brussels press conference: “We must pick up the pace.” Mr Barnier repeated his warning that agreement on the transition deal following Brexit sought by Mrs May is “not a given”.
Responding to the UK government’s concession on EU migration, SNP MP Stuart Mcdonald said: “Bit by bit, we see the Prime Minister being forced to acknowledge the fact that EU migration has a hugely positive impact on our economy and country, and any step in that direction is welcome.
“However, Theresa May has much further to go, not just for EU nationals arriving during the transition period, but also for those who are already here.
“The UK government’s obsession with their hard Brexit plans is already beginning to bite as the number of skilled EU workers in the UK dropped, and the UK has hit its self-imposed monthly cap for visas for skilled workers for the third month in a row. Unless the UK government urgently gets a grip, the UK will continue down the road of isolationism and retreat.”
“The draft legal text the Commission have published would, if implemented, threaten the constitutional integrity of the UK”
THERESA MAY
The Beast from the East showed its fangs yesterday, causing widespread disruption and sparking warnings that the heavy snow posed a risk to life.
Schools closed, hospital operations were postponed, planes, trains and buses were cancelled and delayed, there were numerous reports of stranded travellers, and hundreds of road accidents.
And there is more to come. The blast of Siberian weather was expected to collide with Storm Emma today, bringing further falls of snow and sleet along with galeforce winds.
But, amid this ferocious assault by the weather, there were some much-needed heart-warming tales.
Staff battling through the conditions to make it into work, churches and hotels opening their doors to people with nowhere to stay, and displays of “Blitz spirit” among train passengers caught up in long delays.
Rather than getting too worked up by the sight of snow inside a sleeper train to Edinburgh, it was used to build a snowman.
One Lothian Buses worker, who lives in Selkirk, set off to walk the six miles to Galashiels train station to make it into work, but ended up being given a lift by a passing motorist and arrived three hours early for his shift. And Stobo Castle near Peebles offered to put guests up for free for an extra night so they did not have to risk the treacherous conditions.
The worst of times has a tendency to bring out the best in some people; finding a way to make this the norm could create a powerful force for good. David Cameron tried to do this during his time in Downing Street. In a speech in Liverpool in 2010, just two months after he became prime minister, he said that his “great passion” was creating a “Big Society”. It was a nice idea, but eight years later there are few signs of a significant transformation.
His version of the Big Society may not have been to everyone’s liking, but building a kinder, more caring Britain where people will go an extra mile for one another should remain an aspiration of everyone in politics.
And we may require some oldfashioned Blitz spirit sooner than later. The Beast from the East galvanised some to display it, but a storm of a different kind – Brexit – is coming. If forecasters’ warnings of a multi-billion-pound hit to the economy prove correct, we will all need to pull together.