By Ben Kerrigan-
MPs in the Uk are in tension over the limited time frame for parliament to debate the Brexit deal, with a number vowing to vote against it.
As Labour leader, Keir Starmer, urged his party to support the ‘thin Brexit deal, Mp Diane Abbott said she would go against the bill
AD: Capeesh Restaurant
Ed Davey has branded the PM’s Brexit deal ‘lousy’ , saying that “This deal will make British people poorer and less safe.
“It’s not really a trade deal at all, it’s a lack of a trade deal.
“We were told leaving the EU would cut red tape but this deal represents the biggest increase in red tape.”
AD: Oysterian Sea Food Restaurant And Bar
Mr Davey said Lib Dems have been left “no choice but to vote against this deal tonight”.
Prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to have a large enough majority to get the bill through parliament, and has asked his MPs to vote for the bill, arguing that the only alternative at this stage would be a no-deal exit, which he argues would be even more damaging to the UK econom
The European Research Group faction of Conservative MPs said it will support the deal which it said preserves the Uk Sovereignty as ”a matter of law”.
In the Commons, Mark Francois, the chair of the Conservative European Research Group, says tomorrow night the UK will leave the EU “forever”. He quotes approvingly what Nigel Farage, the Brexit party leader, said last week about “the war” being “over” as a result of this deal. Francois says:
What I call the battle for Brexit is now over. We won.
Friendship And Goodwill
A speech opening five hours of Commons debate, Mr Johnson said the “central purpose of this bill is to accomplish something which the British people always knew in their hearts could be done”.
This, he added, was that the country could “trade and cooperate with our European neighbours on the closest terms of friendship and goodwill, whilst retaining sovereign control of our laws and our national destiny”.
Mr Johnson added that there was a “unifying thread” in the bill of wanting a “new relationship between Britain and the EU as sovereign equals, joined by friendship, commerce, history, interests and values, while respecting one another’s freedom of action and recognising that we have nothing to fear if we sometimes choose to do things differently”.
The European Parliament is currently scrutinising of the agreement, but will not be able to ratify it before the UK leaves the EU single market and customs union at midnight on Thursday, but the deal has already received the unanimous approval of ambassadors from the 27 nations and the member states gave their written approval on Tuesday.
Tory MP for Stone and key Brexiteer Sir Bill Cash praised the historic post-Brexit deal.
Freedom And Independence
Speaking to the House of Commons, he said: “In these historic days as we regain our freedom and our independence, I pay a profound tribute to our democracy but above all to our voters in the referendum and the election last December and of course to our Prime Minister who against all the odds led us out of parliamentary paralysis last year to victory, delivering us from 48 years of subjugation and European court jurisdiction, regaining our sovereignty.”
Sir Bill told MPs that Boris Johnson, like Alexander t: “Churchill and Margaret Thatcher would have been deeply proud of his achievements and so are we.”
The full contents of the agreement bill runs into thousands of pages, and there are concerns that crucial elements could be missed if the details are not closely examined.
Mps who object to the deal generally know which areas they find disturbing, and will have to manage the time they have in parliament today in debating the bill. The stark reality is that when all is said and done, the bill will go through anyway. Any problems with the bill will be at best continue to be discussed and debated as an exercise, having little effect on the reality of what Brexit would look like.
Image:dw.com
AD: Heritage And Restaurant Lounge Bar