LONDON – British Prime Minister Theresa May unveils her Brexit “Plan B” toparliament on Monday after MPs shredded her EU divorce deal, deepening thepolitical gridlock 10 weeks from departure day.
Britain will crash out of the European Union on March 29 unless MPs canforce a delay or come up with an alternative plan that Brussels is alsohappy with, before the deadline.
London and Brussels have spent the best part of two years working on thedivorce deal but MPs in parliament’s lower House of Commons comprehensivelyrejected it on Tuesday.
EU leaders have signalled they could alter the agreement if May droppedsome of her negotiating “red lines” but British media on Monday reportedthat she would instead attempt to negotiate some changes to the existingagreement. The reports were met with scepticism in Europe.
“I don’t think it can be saved by marginal adjustments in the current plan.I don’t think she can convince MPs by presenting the same thing to themwith slight tweaks,” Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said inBrussels. “It therefore has to present something substantiallydifferent.”
Asked if he would change the Brexit deal, Slovakia’s Miroslav Lajcak said:”Why? So you want the EU to be a bigger loser than the UK? Is this what youreally want? “This is a fair deal that 27 members strongly support soI would really not touch,” he said.
After surviving a Commons confidence vote on Wednesday, May last weekreached out to opposition parties to seek a compromise solution but thetalks appear to have fallen through.
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party stayed away,saying that a “no-deal” departure must be ruled out first — something Maysays is impossible.
– Amendments –
After May sets out her plans for the way ahead, lawmakers are set to tablea series of amendments, to be voted upon on January 29.
At least two groups of MPs are planning to table amendments to enablebackbenchers to delay Brexit and prevent Britain leaving the EU with noagreement.
One of the proposals would enable MPs to debate and vote on Brexit issues,giving them far greater influence over government strategy. May’s Downing Street office has called them “extremelyconcerning”.
“You’ve got a Leave population and a Remain parliament,” InternationalTrade Secretary Liam Fox, one of the senior Brexiteers in May’s cabinet,said on Sunday.
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“Parliament has not got the right to hijack the Brexit process… and infact steal the result from the people,” he told BBC television.
Britain voted by a 52-48 margin in favour of leaving the EU in a referendumin 2016 that exposed deep divisions in British society.
– Irish backstop –
One of the most problematic areas of the divorce deal is the so-calledbackstop on the Irish border — a legal guarantee that the frontier wouldremain free-flowing if Britain and the EU cannot agree a long-term freetrade pact.
Changes in the backstop could help win over Conservative eurosceptics, andthe party’s Democratic Unionist allies that May counts upon for a majorityin parliament.
Graham Brady, who chairs the committee of backbench Conservative MPs, saidhe thought May could get her Brexit deal past Conservative rebels if theIrish backstop “can be sorted out”.
“So much of the vote against was from people who simply cannot support apotentially permanent backstop, if that can be sorted out then I think wemight get that withdrawal agreement through,” he told BBC radio.
He said it was in Ireland’s interests to help Britain leave the EU with adeal, saying they would be far more hurt by a no-deal Brexit that Britainas most of their trade comes through the UK.
But Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said Sunday that he and PrimeMinister Leo Varadkar were in no mood to support alterations to thewithdrawal agreement (WA) or the backstop.
“We remain united and focused on protecting Ireland,” he said. “That includes continued support for the EU/UK agreed WAin full, including the backstop as negotiated.” – APP/AFP
