PM hints at Brexit ‘backstop’ vote to save deal
May pushes ahead with crunch vote despite pleas from ministers to delay to avoid defeat; MPS will hold a crucial vote on Dec.11 to approve or reject the pact; EU judges to rule on Brexit on eve of PM’S crucial vote
Prime Minister Theresa May suggested on Thursday that MPS may get to decide whether Britain eventually joins the “backstop” plan to avoid post-brexit border checks with Ireland.
May told BBC Radio that she was looking at allowing lawmakers a vote on the arrangement, which would keep the country in a customs union with the European Union (EU) after the end of the proposed Brexit transition period in December 2020.
May will push ahead with the crunch Brexit vote despite pleas from senior ministers to delay the clash to head off near-certain defeat.
The prime minister was grilled over whether she could pull next week’s “meaningful vote” in the face of opposition from all sides, to give whips more time to win over wavering MPS or to reach out to Brussels for further concessions.
Cabinet ministers such as Amber Rudd, Sajid Javid and Gavin Williamson have reportedly urged May to delay the Commons showdown on Tuesday — and her DUP allies have stepped up threats to bring down the government if the deal goes ahead.
The alternative, according to the deal struck between May and the EU, would be to extend the transition period for up to two years, during which time Britain would largely enjoy the same relationship with THE Bloc, DESPITE oficially LEAVING on March 29, 2019. “We’re looking at is this question around the backstop and the role of parliament,” May said. “The backstop is talked about as if it’s automatic. Actually it’s not automatic. There is a choice. “The question is do we go into the backstop, do we extend... the transition period? I’m exploring.”
The EU’S top court will say on Monday whether Britain can unilaterally halt Brexit, potentially offering a boost to those opposed to leaving the European Union on the very eve of a crucial and tumultuous vote in the British parliament.
In a brief statement on Thursday, the Court of Justice in Luxembourg said judges would deliver a ruling at 9am on Dec.10 in a case brought by Scottish politicians who argue Britain can simply withdraw its plan to leave in March, without waiting for the approval of the other member states.
‘SOMEWHAT ILLOGICAL’
May is drumming up support for her deal, but faces daunting odds with scores of her own MPS set to vote against the government on Dec.11.
EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier warned on Thursday that approval of the withdrawal agreement by the British and European parliaments was “the basis for everything.”
“If there is no treaty, there is no transition period, nor is there the basis of trust with the British that we need to build the future relationship,” Barnier said.
“The British lawmakers will vote on this text and on the future relation in the next few days. It is a vote on which the future of their country depends.”
The Conservative prime minister commands a slim working majority in parliament thanks to a deal with Northern Ireland’s DUP, which is fiercely opposed to HER plan.
DUP leader Nigel Dodds said his party would vote against the deal, but would not move to bring down May’s government.
“If it (the deal) is defeated, it would be somewhat illogical — having achieved our aim trying to get to a better deal — it would be illogical then to turn around the next day and say ‘let’s vote the government out’,” he told ITV.
“I think then we start on a process to try to get a better deal,” he added.
The backstop issue is the key sticking point, with OFICIAL LEGAL ADVICE suggest-ING BRITAIN Could GET Indefinitely stuck in a customs arrangement, having no power to unilaterally withdraw.
According to media reports, May’s OFICE HAS Attempted to win over rebellious backbenchers by suggesting that MPS may even be able to vote on rejecting both options of the deal, but was rebuffed by leading Brexiteers.
Conservative MP Jacob Rees-mogg, LEADER of THE Influential Eurosceptic ERG group, told the Daily Mail that such a proposal would mean ripping up the Withdrawal Agreement and renegotiating it entirely, something the EU has ruled out.
MPS held a third day of debates on the deal on Thursday, focusing on its economic impacts.
During THE DEBATE, inance minister Philip Hammond warned MPS it was “simply a delusion” to believe another deal could be negotiated.
“This deal is the best deal to exit the EU that is available or that is going to be available,” he said.