By Ben Kerrigan -
British prime minister, Theresa May has promised to take a mandate from the British Parliament that can secure a substantial and sustainable majority in the Commons for leaving the EU with a deal. May’s is faced with the challenging task of twisting the arms of EU chiefs, but she cannot afford to give up just because of the difficulty she knows awaits her. Her promise aims to address concerns over Parliament’s role in the negotiations of the future relationship and commitment for worker’s rights in law where need be. Ms May now plans to seek to obtain legally binding changes to the Withdrawal Agreement that deal with concerns on the backstop while guaranteeing no return to a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. The British prime minister said she and her colleagues plan to discuss with the EU how to address the House’s views.
In the meantime, EU chiefs have re-iterated their dictatorial position that their position on the Northern Ireland backstop is none negotiable. Their position will not stop continuing negotiations with the EU over the sticky issue of the Northern Ireland backstop issue. Ms May also said the continuing protection of workers’ rights after Brexit is ”something that needs to be strengthened”, adding that the Secretary of State for Business will intensify work with Honourable Members from across the House and the trade unions this week.
As well as making clear what changes it needs to approve the Withdrawal agreement, the House has also reconfirmed its view that it does not want to leave the EU without a Withdrawal Agreement and Future Framework. ”I agree that we should not leave without a deal. However, simply opposing no deal is not enough to stop it” she said.
The Government will now redouble its efforts to get a deal that this House can support and to that end I want to invite my Right Honourable Friend the Member for Meriden, the Honourable Member for Birmingham Erdington, and all those that tabled amendments in opposition to No Deal to discuss how we can deliver that by securing a deal.
In light of the defeat of the Right Honourable Member the Leader of the Opposition’s amendment I again invite him to take up my offer of the meeting to see if we can find a way forward. The prime minister told The Speaker of the House: ” if this House can come together we can deliver the decision the British people took in June 2016, restore faith in our democracy and get on with building a country that works for everyone”.
On Tuesday, Irish Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the decision last night to seek alternative arrangements to the backstop has “strengthened anxieties” across Ireland. SDhe accused the prime minister of acting “absolutely in bad faith” by encouraging Tory MPs to support the Brady amendment, she says, which has “put the backstop through the shredder”.
Ms McDonald said the prime minister knows the backstop is “the bare minimum” in whatever deal that is agreed with the EU. I