May warned of chaotic exit from EU
BRITAIN’S prime minister Theresa May’s plan to trigger the UK’s formal exit from the EU within 48 hours has been thrown into chaos.
Brexit secretary David Davis was castigated by an influential group of MPs from all parties for being ill-prepared for a ‘no deal’ exit if talks with Brussels end in deadlock.
In a scathing verdict, the MPs warned that it would be a ‘dereliction of duty’ if the British government allowed the UK to crash out of the EU unprepared.
The report, by MPs on the Commons foreign affairs committee, said that leaving the EU without planning for a deal would lead to ‘mutually assured damage for the EU and the UK’.
Mr Davis has said that planning for a no-deal Brexit would be a pointless ‘exercise in guesswork’.
But as the report was published, a handful of rebel Tory MPs made a last-ditch bid to force Mrs May to give parliament a vote if Britain leaves the EU with no formal agreement.
Up to 10 could vote against the government or abstain in tomorrow’s key debate on sanctioning Mrs May to trigger Article 50.
Last night, Downing Street said that Mrs May was in no mood to back down from triggering Britain’s withdrawal from the EU.
If, as expected, the government wins tomorrow’s vote and the House of Lords does not delay the process, Mrs May hopes to sign Article 50, starting the two-year Brexit negotiations, on Tuesday.
Most experts regard that as ‘the point of no return’ for Britain’s links with the EU – although some have disputed that.
The all-party foreign affairs committee said there was a ‘real possibility’ of Britain leaving the EU without any deal being in place, adding that there was ‘no evidence’ that the government was preparing for that scenario.
Mr Davis hit back last night, saying he was ‘confident’ of achieving a ‘comprehensive agreement on free trade’ and that he had already told ministers to make plans for ‘all potential Brexit outcomes’.
A source close to Downing Street said: ‘The prime minister fully supports Mr Davis.’