The PM of the UK said the letter sent to her by Donald Tusk (President of the EU Council) and Jean Claude Juncker 8President of the EU Commission) assure that the EU will provide for a rapid negotiation to set the terms of the future relations between the EU and UK and avoid that the backstop pacted for Northern Ireland enters into force.
She also pointed that the letter is legally binding and are a clear interpretation both of the agreement and the political declaration. The letter assures that the backstop would not last indefinitely, May underscored.
After May’s speech both Nigel Dodds (DUP Deputy Leader) and Keir Starmer (Labour MP for Holborn & St Pancras and Shadow Secretary of State for Brexit) positioned themselves against May oth the point that Tusk and Juncker’s letter added any further guarantee to the technical agreement and political declaration closed by May and the EU on Brexit last November.
Starmer said on Twitter: “This is a long way from the significant and legally effective commitment the Prime Minister promised last month. It is a reiteration of the EU’s existing position. Nothing has changed.”
“Despite a letter of supposed reassurance from the European Union, there are no ‘legally binding assurances’ as the Prime Minister talked about in December. In fact, there is nothing new. Nothing has changed.
“Rather than reassure us, the Tusk and Juncker letter bolsters our concerns by confirming:
1.everything the Attorney General said in his legal advice regarding the backstop, still stands;
2.there has been no change to the Withdrawal Agreement and
3.Northern Ireland would be subject to EU laws with no representation in Brussels. We would rely on the Dublin government to speak up for us.
“Instead of meaningless letters, the Prime Minister should now ask for and deliver changes to the Withdrawal Agreement,” underscores Dodds on DUP’s official communication published just some few minutes ago.
“On the possibility offered by EU in order to provide a technical extension of the Art. 50 delaying the Brexit term beyond 29th March to July this year, May reiterated once more that the date for UK to leave the EU is next 29th March with no chance for any delay: “I’ve been clear that I don’t believe we should be extending article 50 and I don’t believe we should be having a second referendum.”
Those are some of the points included in the speech delivered by the PM of the UK in Stoke-on-Trent and some of the first reactions both to Tusk and Junker’s letter and to May’s declarations.
The Guardian has served to their readers (live) and also transcripted the whole speech of Theresa May.
Rejecting the agreement “risks there being no Brexit”
The PM of the United Kingdom also warned the Members of the Parliament that saying no to the Brexit agreement to be voted tomorrow in Westminster will open two risks: not leaving the EU at all or leaving without agreement.
Rejecting the deal closed with the EU Institutions and State members in November and ratificated by EU Council and member states in December will probably lead to a Paralysis in the Parliament,she said,that could risk there being no Brexit.
Rejecting the technical deal would either lead the UK to leave the EU without an agreement.
The first escenario will result in the MP not delivering on the vote of the majority of the UK citizens expressed at the referendum. In May’s view, the Parliament would surely lose the confidence of the citizens because of that.
The second escenario, opens the way to a Brexit with no deal that would bring economic and social disruption to UK companies, farmers and in general to UK citizens’lives and jobs in the short term.
The Democratic Unionist Party, furhter than skeptical, demands an explanation to May
Talking about Northern Ireland, May commented that a no deal escenario would bring “changes to everyday life in Northern Ireland that would put the future of our Union at risk”.
Democratic Unionist Party’s Nigel Dodds reacted to this comment demanding for an explanation: “The Prime Minister must explain this comment. What exactly would the Government be changing?.
If this is nothing more than scaremongering, then the Prime Minister should cease from such foolish talk. Indeed, the Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has said that the Republic of Ireland is not making preparations for a hard border even in the event of no deal being agreed.”
DUP’s communication and Keir Starmer tweet show no change in positions against the tecnical agreement among the MPs just some hours before the vote on Westeminster set on 15th January.
Meanwhile Gareth Johnson (Conservative MP for Dartford) has stepped down today from his duties in Theresa May’s Government as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union.
“Over the last few weeks, I have tried to reconcile my duties as WHIP to assist the Government to implement the European Withdrawal Agreement, with my own personal objections to the agreement. I have concluded that I cannot, in all conscience, support the Government’s
position when it is clear this deal would be detrimental, to our nation’s interests.” Johnson writes in his letter of resignation.
And he adds: “The ‘back stop’, contained in the agreement, gives our country no clear, unilateral path out of the European Union and ensures we will be fettered in our ability to negotiate trade deals with other nations in the future.
“Along with nearly two thirds of my constituents and a majority of the country, I supported ‘leave’ in the referendum as I wanted the UKK to take back the sovereignty we had lost during our membership of the European Union.
Unfortunately this agreement prevents us taking back control and instead could leave us perpetually constrained by the European Union”
“…I was hopeful that changes could be made to improve the deal with the Europoean Union but it is now clear to me that no significant change will be made to this agreement before the Meaningful Vote takes place…”
That of Gareth Johnson brings May’s Cabinet resignations, by disagreements with the Brexit deal, near to 50.
Image over the headline.- British PM, Theresa May, on PR campaign to earn support for the Withdrawal Agreement. Belfast (Northern Ireland) on 27th November 2018. © PM Office on Twitter.
Related external links:
Related Eastwind links:
Gareth Jophnosn’s resignation letter to Theresa May (14th January 2018)
Brexit.- DUP denies support to the Withdrawal Agreement under current terms
