Judgment day doesn’t end sorry saga

For Prime Minister Theresa May it was “judgment day” as she tried and succeeded in getting her Brexit deal through Cabinet.

But this is far from the end of this sorry saga.

From what we know, it’s clear the Prime Minister was selling a miserable deal that looks unlikely to get past parliament.

It won’t appease hardline Brexiteers, judging by Boris Johnson’s furious reaction, and it won’t appeal to the Remainers in the Tory Party.

As for Labour, there is no Brexit deal that can meet our six tests and we know that other opposition parties will vote against it in the Commons.

There are legitimate concerns about giving away control as part of this settlement.

It will tie the UK to EU rules without giving us any say in how they may be changed in the future.

I have spent nearly 20 years in the European Parliament and I know how important it is for the UK to have a voice at the top table.

It appears the Brexit deal could also include a regulatory split between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK – something which the DUP certainly won’t stomach, and anything which weakens the fabric of the Union should give us all cause for concern.

For a Prime Minister who claims the Union is “precious” to her, she hasn’t shown anywhere near enough respect to the nations of the UK and must work harder to engage the Scottish Parliament.

But ultimately, this is a bad deal that will leave British people poorer and weaker.

All MPS must ask themselves if this is better than the deal we’ve already got as a member of the EU.

If they are honest with themselves, they know it isn’t – and that’s why they must vote this deal down.

And then they must hand the final decision back to the public for a People’s Vote. l Catherine Stihler is a Labour Party politician. She has been an MEP for Scotland since 1999