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Theresa May urges MPs to back Brexit deal 'for country's sake'

January 14th, 2019 | Tags:
Theresa May urges MPs to back Brexit deal 'for country's sake.' Photo: Daily Express
Theresa May has urged MPs to back her Brexit deal
Theresa May has urged MPs to back her Brexit deal "for the country's sake" as Tuesday's Commons vote looms closer. Photo: Internet Source
Assistant whip Gareth Johnson became the latest member of the government to quit his job over the deal, saying in his resignation letter to the PM that it would be
Assistant whip Gareth Johnson became the latest member of the government to quit his job over the deal, saying in his resignation letter to the PM that it would be "detrimental to our nation's interests." Photo: Internet Source
BBC News

WESTMINSTER, England - Theresa May has urged MPs to back her Brexit deal "for the country's sake" as Tuesday's Commons vote looms closer.

She warned of "paralysis in Parliament" if the deal is rejected and said trust in politics would suffer "catastrophic harm" if the UK did not leave the EU.

The PM welcomed new EU assurances over the impact of the deal on Northern Ireland, saying they had "legal force".

Backstop

The EU said it didn't want to use the "backstop" but, if it did, it would be for "the shortest possible period".

The "backstop" is the fallback plan to avoid any return to physical Northern Ireland border checks.

In a letter to Mrs May, the EU said commitments to look at alternatives to the customs arrangement and to fast-track talks on future relations had "legal value" and would be treated "in the most solemn manner".

Speaking in Stoke, Mrs May said "they make absolutely clear that the backstop is not a threat nor a trap".

But critics said they fell way short of the firm end date or the unilateral right to withdraw they wanted, with the Democratic Unionist Party saying "nothing has changed" and accusing the prime minister of "foolish talk".

Whip Quits

Assistant whip Gareth Johnson became the latest member of the government to quit his job over the deal, saying in his resignation letter to the PM that it would be "detrimental to our nation's interests".

He added: "The time has come to place my loyalty to my country above my loyalty to the government."

Mrs May's speech comes amid reports MPs plan to take control of Brexit if her deal is defeated.

Labour and the other opposition parties will vote against the deal while about 100 Conservative MPs, and the Democratic Unionist Party's 10 MPs, could also join them.

Speaking to factory workers, Mrs May said she now believed MPs blocking Brexit was more likely than a no-deal scenario.

"As we have seen over the last few weeks, there are some in Westminster who would wish to delay or even stop Brexit and who will use every device available to them to do so...

"While no deal remains a serious risk, having observed events over the last seven days, it is now my judgment that the more likely outcome is a paralysis in Parliament that risks there being no Brexit.

Failing to honour the 2016 Brexit referendum vote would do "catastrophic harm" to the democratic process, she warned.

Parliament

"Imagine if an anti-devolution House of Commons had said to the people of Scotland or Wales that despite voting in favour of a devolved legislature, Parliament knew better and would overrule them.

"Or else force them to vote again. What if we found ourselves in a situation where Parliament tried to take the UK out of the EU in opposition to a remain vote?

But Mrs May had been accused of "hypocrisy" by Welsh opposition politicians after excerpts of the speech released to the media in advance suggested she would cite the example of the Welsh devolution referendum in 1997, when people voted by a margin of 0.3% to create the Welsh Assembly, and argue that the result had been "accepted by both sides".

When she actually delivered the speech, the PM said the result had been "accepted by Parliament".

Mrs May voted against the establishment of the Welsh Assembly after that referendum - while the 2005 Conservative manifesto pledged to offer the Welsh people a "referendum on whether to keep the Assembly in its current form, increase its powers or abolish it".

 

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