TORIES AT WAR (STILL)
Defiant PM blasted over plot to extend Brexit transition period
TORY Brexiteers have blasted Theresa May’s plot to keep us tied to the EU beyond the planned transition period of late 2020.
The Prime Minister said she could extend the 21-month period for “a matter of months” in a bid to break the deadlock over the Irish backstop.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the “prolongation of the transition period probably will happen – that’s a good idea”.
But the move outraged Leavers, who claimed it would delay the UK’s exit. In a thinly veiled threat to her MPs, the PM said anyone planning to vote BLAST Jacob Rees-Mogg
against whatever deal she gets from Brussels should “think about the importance of protecting jobs and livelihoods”.
Ministers want to deny the Commons the chance to amend the motion, meaning MPs would be confronted with a take-it-or-leave-it choice between accepting any pact or crashing out without a deal. Speaking after the two-day summit in Brussels, Mrs May said: “There are difficult issues we are still working through.”
The UK is due to leave the EU on March 29 but the transition period was due to run until December 2020. Leading Tory Brexiteer Jacob ReesMogg branded plans to extend that as “a poor attempt at kicking the can down the road”. He added: “It could be very expensive. It also doesn’t solve the problem of the backstop, because the backstop would remain at the end of this additional transition.” Nick Boles, a former Remainer and close ally of Environment Secretary Michael Gove, warned: “I’m afraid she is losing the confidence now of colleagues of all shades of opinion.”