No deal is a bad deal, says ex-Tory minister
ACONSERVATIVE former minister has hit out at Theresa May’s assertion that no deal on Brexit is better than a bad deal branding it “potentially the worst deal”.
The Prime Minister has warned leaders in Brussels that Britain is prepared to crash out of the EU if she cannot negotiate a reasonable exit agreement.
But Lord Lansley, who was health secretary in David Cameron’s Cabinet, said Britain would be taken to a “cliff edge” if Mrs May follows up on her threat.
“I must say one of the most alarming statements among many being made recently about Brexit is that no deal is better than a bad deal”, he told the Lords.
“No deal is a bad deal, it is potentially the worst deal.
“It would be a disorderly exit. It is a cliff edge, if not so much for trade and goods but certainly for services, for reciprocal arrangements like health and benefits and for accrued rights, for research and scientific collaboration and for issues such as policing and justice.”
Speaking in the second day of debate in the House of Lords on the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill, he also praised Gina Miller for mounting the court challenge which paved the way for Parliament’s discussions on triggering Article 50.
And Lord Lansley said the Conservative Government’s promise to give Parliament a vote on the final deal is not good enough, and that both chambers must be consulted throughout the two-year negotiations.
He said: “The Government did not actually want this Bill and were rightly required to bring it forward - I pay tribute, as others have, to those who initiated the case before the Supreme Court.
“The Government’s mandate to leave is of course in the referendum, but their authority to do so and the authority for the future agreements with the European Union will derive from this Parliament. We must exercise that authority at the right time that is before the die is cast.
“Of course the Government do promise a vote on the final deals, but that is not good enough. Parliament must be fully engaged with, and party to, the potential outcomes before that happens.”