Prime Minister – Politick

After a marathon cabinet meeting on 2 April following the failure of the latest round of indicative votes by MPs the previous day, the Prime Minister emerged and gave the following statement.

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-statement-on-brexit-2-april-2019

I have just come from chairing seven hours of Cabinet meetings focused on finding a route out of the current impasse – one that will deliver the Brexit the British people voted for, and allow us to move on and begin bringing our divided country back together.

I know there are some who are so fed up with delay and endless arguments that they would like to leave with No Deal next week. I have always been clear that we could make a success of No Deal in the long-term. But leaving with a deal is the best solution.

So we will need a further extension of Article 50, one that is as short as possible and which ends when we pass a deal. And we need to be clear what such an extension is for, to ensure we leave in a timely and orderly way.

This debate, this division, cannot drag on much longer. It is putting Members of Parliament and everyone else under immense pressure and it is doing damage to our politics. Despite the best efforts of MPs, the process that the House of Commons has tried to lead has not come up with an answer.

So today I am taking action to break the logjam: I am offering to sit down with the Leader of the Opposition and to try to agree a plan, that we would both stick to, to ensure that we leave the European Union and that we do so with a deal.

Any plan would have to agree the current Withdrawal Agreement, it has already been negotiated with the 27 other members, and the EU has repeatedly said that it cannot and will not be reopened. What we need to focus on is our Future Relationship with the EU.

The ideal outcome of this process would be to agree an approach on a Future Relationship that delivers on the result of the Referendum, that both the Leader of the Opposition and I could put to the House for approval, and which I could then take to next week’s European Council.

However, if we cannot agree on a single unified approach, then we would instead agree a number of options for the Future Relationship that we could put to the House in a series of votes to determine which course to pursue.

Crucially, the Government stands ready to abide by the decision of the House. But to make this process work, the Opposition would need to agree to this too.

The Government would then bring forward the Withdrawal Agreement Bill. We would want to agree a timetable for this Bill to ensure it is passed before 22nd May so that the United Kingdom need not take part in European Parliamentary Elections.

This is a difficult time for everyone. Passions are running high on all sides of the argument. But we can and must find the compromises that will deliver what the British people voted for. This is a decisive moment in the story of these islands. And it requires national unity to deliver the national interest.

Information released by the Prime Ministers Office which outlines the reasons why the deal negotiated by the Prime Minister is the right deal for the UK.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/40-reasons-to-back-the-brexit-deal

Almost like a party manifesto – you will be able to check against this list what is and isn’t achieved in the future (if the deal ever passes through Parliament).

1. Free movement will come to an end, once and for all, with the introduction of a new skills-based immigration system.

2. We will take back full control of our money which we will be able to spend on our priorities such as the NHS. We will leave EU regional funding programmes – with the UK deciding how we spend this money in the future.

3. The jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in the UK will end.

4. In the future we will make our own laws in our own Parliaments and Assemblies in Westminster, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

5. We will leave the Common Agricultural Policy.

6. We will leave the Common Fisheries Policy and become an independent coastal state again, with control over our waters.

7. We will be able to strike trade deals with other countries around the world. Deals can be negotiated and ratified during the implementation period and put in place straight afterwards.

8. We will be an independent voice for free trade on the global stage, speaking for ourselves at the World Trade Organisation, for the first time in decades.

9. We will be freed from the EU’s political commitment to ever closer union.

10. We will be out of the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, recognising the UK’s long track record in protecting human rights.

11. A fair settlement of our financial obligations, which will be less than half what was originally predicted.

12. Both the one million UK citizens living in the EU and the three million EU citizens living in the UK will have their rights legally guaranteed so they can carry on living their lives as before.

13. We will have a free trade area with the EU, with no tariffs, fees, charges or quantitative restrictions across all sectors, helping to protect UK jobs. We will be the only major economy with such a relationship with the EU.

14. We’ve agreed with the EU that we will be as ambitious as possible in easing the movement of goods between the UK and the EU as part of our free trade area.

15. We will have an implementation period after we leave the EU during which trade will continue much as it does now. This will allow government, businesses and citizens time to prepare for our new relationship.

16. The deal will see a greater reduction in barriers to trade in services than in any previous trade deal.

17. There will be an agreement that means UK citizens can practice their profession in the EU.

18. A comprehensive deal that secures access to the EU market for our financial services sector meaning the EU cannot withdraw it on a whim. This will provide stability and certainty for the industry.

19. A best in class agreement on digital, helping to facilitate e-commerce and reduce unjustified barriers to trade by electronic means.

20. We have agreed that there will be arrangements that will let data continue to flow freely, vital across our economy and for our shared security.

21. Trade arrangements for gas and electricity will help to ease pressure on prices and keep supply secure.

22. Strong rules will be in place to keep trade fair, so neither the UK nor EU can unfairly subsidise their industries against the other.

23. We will have a comprehensive Air Transport Agreement and comparable access for freight operators, buses and coaches.

24. We have agreed that there will be arrangements so we can take part in EU programmes like Horizon and Erasmus.

25. There will be a co-operation agreement with Euratom, covering all the key areas where we want to collaborate.

26. Visa-free travel to the EU for holidays and business trips will continue.

27. Our new security partnership will mean sharing of data like DNA, passenger records and fingerprints to fight crime and terrorism, going beyond any previous agreement the EU has made with a third country.

28. Our new security partnership will enable the efficient and swift surrender of suspected and wanted criminals.

29. Close co-operation for our police forces and other law enforcement bodies.

30. We will continue to work together on sanctions against those who violate international rules.

31. We will work together on cyber-security threats and support international efforts to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

32. Disputes between the UK and the EU on the agreement will be settled by an independent arbitrator, ensuring a fair outcome.

33. We will meet our commitment to ensure that there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

34. We will keep the Common Travel Area between the United Kingdom and Ireland, ensuring everyday life continues as now.

35. We will keep the Single Electricity Market between Northern Ireland and Ireland, which will help maintain a stable energy supply and keep prices down in Northern Ireland.

36. Both sides will be legally committed, by the Withdrawal Agreement, to use “best endeavours” to get the future relationship in place by the end of the implementation period, helping to ensure the backstop is never used.

37. An agreement to consider alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, including all facilitative arrangements and technologies, and to begin preparatory work on this before we leave the EU, reflecting shared determination to replace the backstop.

38. In the unlikely event we do have to use the backstop, a UK-wide customs area will ensure there is no customs border in the Irish Sea.

39. Gibraltar’s British sovereignty will be protected.

40. The deal delivers on the referendum result. It takes back control of our money, borders and laws whilst protecting jobs, security and the integrity of the United Kingdom.