May: Brexit deal delivers for UK
THERESA MAY has told the House of Commons that she has secured a Brexit deal which “delivers for the British people” and warned that rejecting it would put the UK on the path to division and uncertainty.
But the Prime Minister was loudly barracked by MPs as she insisted that no better deal was available to Britain than the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration on future relations endorsed by EU leaders in Brussels on Sunday.
In a sign that she aims to go over fractious MPs’ heads and appeal directly to voters for their backing, Mrs May said parliamentarians had a “duty” to listen to their constituents before taking their decision in the national interest.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the Commons would have “very little choice” but to reject Mrs May’s “botched” deal, which he described as “bad for this country”.
With scores of Conservative MPs threatening to rebel, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay has admitted Mrs May faces a “challenging vote” when her deal comes before the Commons in early December.
But European Commission president Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay
Jean-Claude Juncker warned that there would be no more negotiation if MPs vote down the agreement, saying: “This is the best deal for Britain ... and this is the only deal possible, so if the House says no, we would have no deal.”
Addressing the Commons the day after returning from Brussels, Mrs May said: “I can say to the House with absolute certainty that there is not a better deal available. Our duty as a Parliament over these coming weeks is to examine this deal in detail, to debate it respectfully, to listen to our constituents and decide what is in our national interest.”
Mrs May said MPs faced a choice: “We can back this deal, deliver on the vote of the referendum and move on to building a brighter future of opportunity and prosperity for all our people.
“Or this House can choose to reject this deal and go back to square one.
“Because no one knows what would happen if this deal doesn’t pass.
“It would open the door to more division and more uncertainty, with all the risks that will entail.”
She added: “I believe our national interest is clear.
“The British people want us to get on with a deal that honours the referendum and allows us to come together again as a country, whichever way we voted.
“This is that deal. A deal that delivers for the British people.”
Mrs May told MPs that the UK Government had ensured that Gibraltar was covered by the Withdrawal Agreement and would negotiate a future relationship “for the whole UK family, including Gibraltar”.
She sent a message to residents of the Rock: “We will always stand by you.
“We are proud that Gibraltar is British and our position on sovereignty has not and will not change.”