Day: October 18, 2019

So we have a deal. Maybe.

News of the Brexit breakthrough came through before lunchtime. ‘A great deal for our country’, proclaimed PM Boris Johnson. But will the deal – ‘this excellent deal’ get the green light from MPs at a special sitting of parliament on Saturday? It doesn’t look like it: Labour, the SNP, the Lib Dems and – crucially – the government’s DUP partners have all said they will oppose the deal.

PM Boris Johnson held a press conference at the EU Council following the announcement of a new Brexit deal in Brussels:

“I particularly thank Michel Barnier and his team. I thank Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the Commission, for all the personal effort that he has put in to getting this deal done. And I want to stress that this is a great deal for our country, for the UK.

“I also believe it is a very good deal for our friends in the EU. And what it means is that we in the UK can come out of the EU as one United Kingdom – England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, together, and it means we can decide our future together, we can take back control, as the phrase goes, of our money, our borders, our laws, together.

“And we will be able to do free trade agreements around the world. We can also build now, after three and a half years, we can build now on our relations with our friends and partners in the EU.

“And it’ll be a very exciting period now, as it were, to get to the positive side of that project – the extraction having been done, the building now begins.

“And I’m very confident that when my colleagues in Parliament study this agreement, that they will want to vote for it on Saturday, and then in succeeding days.

“This is our chance in the UK as democrats to get Brexit done, and come out on October the 31st. This is our chance to focus on our priorities, the people’s priorities, the NHS, putting 20,000 police on the streets, lifting up funding of education across the country, the biggest expansion of the living wage.

“Those are the things I think the people of our country want us to be focusing on in addition to Brexit. We have been at this now, as I say, for three and a half years.

“It hasn’t always been an easy experience for the UK. It has been long, it has been painful, it has been divisive, and now is the moment for us as a country to come together.

“Now this is the moment for our parliamentarians to come together and get this thing done, and, as I say, to begin building a new and progressive partnership with our EU friends, with whom, of course, we share so many priorities.”

EC President Jean-Claude Juncker responded:  “Good to see you and good to see the Prime Minister, my friend Boris Johnson. We have a deal. And this deal means that there is no need for any kind of prolongation.

“This is a fair and balanced agreement. It is testament to our commitment to finding solutions.

“It provides certainty where Brexit creates uncertainty. It protects the rights of our citizens and it protects peace and stability on the island of Ireland. There will be no border on the island of Ireland. And the Single Market will be protected.

“This deal is not about us, the deal is about people and peace.

“And I look forward to continue my conversations with Boris, because we will start the negotiations on the future relations immediately after the deal will have been approved.

“We will start our debates on 1 November, without delay.

“Tonight, together with Michel Barnier, I will explain the deal to the 27 Heads of State or Government.

“And of course, it is for both our Parliaments to have the final say. It is not only Westminster having to approve the deal – the deal being in fact a Treaty – it is also up to the European Parliament to do the same.

“So thank you, Boris for – I have to say – the excellent relations we had throughout the last weeks.

“I have to say: I am happy about the deal, but I am sad about Brexit.”

Commenting on the new Brexit deal, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “This deal would be a disaster for working people. It would hammer the economy, cost jobs and sell workers’ rights down the river.

“Boris Johnson has negotiated an even worse deal than Theresa May. All MPs should vote against it.”

And many of them assuredly will.

Jeremy Corbyn MP, Leader of the Labour Party, said: “From what we know, it seems the Prime Minister has negotiated an even worse deal than Theresa May’s, which was overwhelmingly rejected.

“These proposals risk triggering a race to the bottom on rights and protections: putting food safety at risk, cutting environmental standards and workers’ rights, and opening up our NHS to a takeover by US private corporations.

“This sell out deal won’t bring the country together and should be rejected. The best way to get Brexit sorted is to give the people the final say in a public vote.”

The SNP was also scathing about the new deal: “Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal clearly ignores Scotland’s wishes and interests, and means that Scotland is being treated unfairly compared to other UK nations.

“That is unacceptable and SNP MPs will vote against it.”

The Liberal Democrats said: “It seems Boris Johnson has managed to cobble together yet another disastrous Brexit deal. 

“It remains to be seen if he can get the deal passed by the House of Commons, but we already know two things for certain:

1. We will use every option available to give you the right to stop Brexit
2. Whatever deal Johnson proposes, it’s not as good as the one we have now as a member of the EU.

“We will not stop fighting to stop Brexit.”

And the Democratic Unionist Party, who have been propping up the Conservative government:

“Following confirmation from the Prime Minister that he believes he has secured a “great new deal” with the European Union the Democratic Unionist Party will be unable to support these proposals in Parliament.

“The Democratic Unionist Party has worked since the referendum result to secure a negotiated deal as we leave the European Union.  We have been consistent that we will only ever consider supporting arrangements that are in Northern Ireland’s long-term economic and constitutional interests and protect the integrity of the Union.

“These proposals are not, in our view, beneficial to the economic well-being of Northern Ireland and they undermine the integrity of the Union. Our main route of trade on an East –West basis will be subject to rules of the European Union Customs Union, notwithstanding that Northern Ireland will remain part of the UK Customs territory.

“All goods would be subject to a customs check regime regardless of their final destination.  The default position, even for goods travelling from one part of our country to another, is that they are considered under the EU Customs code unless otherwise agreed. We recognise that only those goods ultimately destined for the Republic of Ireland would be subject to tariffs but the reality remains that the EU would have a veto on which goods would be exempt and which would not under the Joint Committee arrangements.  This is not acceptable within the internal borders of the United Kingdom.

“Consumers in Northern Ireland would face the prospect of increased costs, and potentially less choice due to checks being implemented in order to facilitate the European Union.  Throughout all the discussions on these issues we have been clear that Northern Ireland should not be subjected to administrative burdens which will be entrenched for the future.

“On VAT Northern Ireland will again be bound into arrangements that the rest of the United Kingdom will not.  There is a real danger that over time Northern Ireland will start to diverge across VAT and Customs and without broad support from the democratic representatives of the people of Northern Ireland.

“While some progress has been made in recognising the issue of consent, the elected representatives of Northern Ireland will have no say on whether Northern Ireland should enter these arrangements.

“The Government has departed from the principle that these arrangements must be subject to the consent of both unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland.  These arrangements would be subject to a rolling review but again the principles of the Belfast Agreement on consent have been abandoned in favour of majority rule on this single issue alone.

“These arrangements will become the settled position in these areas for Northern Ireland. This drives a coach and horses through the professed sanctity of the Belfast Agreement.

“For all of these reasons it is our view that these arrangements would not be in Northern Ireland’s long term interests.  Saturday’s vote in Parliament on the proposals will only be the start of a long process to get any Withdrawal Agreement Bill through the House of Commons.”

With friends like these …

Mr Johnson does have some support, however ….

But parliament to ‘come together’? Dream on, Boris!

Remember the phrase: ‘I’d rather be dead in a ditch than delay EU exit’? Unless Mr Johnson can persuade all of the above to change their minds – and diplomacy isn’t his most obvious skill – the odds are our PM will be sending out that letter to seek an extension at the weekend.

Brexit. It’s far from over yet.