By Ben Kerrigan-
Theresa May is facing strong opposition to what ministers consider a suspicious and unacceptable draft Brexit agreement between the UK and EU. Ministers met today in Downing Street to discuss a provisional draft arrangement between the Uk and The EU which they consider unacceptable and contrary to the will of the British people.
A number of ministers have told the prime minister that the deal will turn both Tory Mps and the British public against her. The warning is serious for the British prime minister, but most relevant is whether
A leaked document seen by The Times “retain all the controls” over swathes of British regulation under the Brexit deal struck by Theresa May, EU negotiators have told member states.
A leaked diplomatic note arising from a meeting between Commission officials and ambassadors from the EU’s 27 countries reveals Brussels perception about the “level playing field” rules signed up to by the prime minister. Deputy chief negotiator Sabine Weyand said:
“We should be in the best negotiation position for the future relationship. This requires the customs union as the basis of the future relationship,” deputy chief negotiator Sabine Weyand said, according to the note seen by The Times newspaper They apply the same rules. UK wants a lot more from future relationship, so EU retains its leverage.”
The binding clauses would effectively tie the UK to EU rules on workers’ rights, environmental protections, and state aid while the so-called backstop applies. Tory Brexiteers resent the plans because they see Britain’s departure from the EU as an opportunity to strip out excessive regulations and rights for workers. Jacob Rees-Mogg said:
“She hasn’t so much struck a deal as surrendered to Brussels and given in to everything they want and tried to frustrate Brexit that it’s not so much a vassal state anymore as a slave state,” unofficial rebellion leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said, articulating the views of many of Ms May’s MPs. Remainers expectedly
Dominic Grieve QC, a Tory MP and the former attorney general, said: “Speaking in private Sabine Weyand has been brutally honest about what the Prime Minister’s deal will really mean.”
He added: “I could not look my constituents in the eye and say this would be a better deal than the one we have as a member of the EU and so I will vote against it and instead I will vote to hand the final decision back to the public. A choice between this miserable Brexit and no deal is no choice at all. The British public deserve a real choice between leaving the EU on these terms or sticking with the deal we’ve got inside the EU.”
Theresa May is briefing ministers on an individual basis ahead of a full cabinet meeting expected to last three hours. The EU Commission is expected to later publish the details of the 500-page draft withdrawal agreement, including the much shorter declaration on future economic and security relations.