The prime minister, Theresa May made a statement to MPs in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon following the agreement of a Brexit deal by EU27 leaders on Sunday in Brussels.
The Prime Minister told MPs that “this is the right deal for Britain, because it delivers on the democratic decision of the British people.” The agreed deal comes after two years of negotiating, which many MPs both within and outside of the Conservative Party are unhappy with.
In her speech, Mrs May paid tribute to Gibraltar’s chief minister Fabian Picardo for his role in the negotiations after Spain tried to change the terms of the Withdrawal agreement early in the weekend before the agreement was signed. The PM also warned MPs other the Northern Ireland Backstop issue, saying that the EU would not have agreed to a deal without an Irish border backstop arrangement.
The Prime Minister issued a warning to MPs that “no one knows what will happen if this deal doesn’t pass” apart from there being “more uncertainty and division”. The deal looks increasingly unlikely to pass when MPs vote on it, with the opposition being voiced by MPs from all parties. The Prime Minister told the House that “there is not a better deal available” and that EU leaders agree with this. On Sunday, EU Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker said that this was the only deal the UK would be getting and there would be no renegotiating.
The leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn told MPs that the deal “does not have the support of either side of this House or the country at large.”
Mr Corbyn added, “ploughing on is not stoic, it is an act of national self-harm” and he told MPs to reject Mrs May’s Brexit deal “for the good of the nation”.
It is understood that the Prime Minister could tour the country in order to drum up support for her Brexit deal. There have been calls on Monday for a debate between Mrs May and Mr Corbyn over the Brexit deal and it is understood that this is a prospect that Downing Street is considering. A spokesman for the Labour Party said that Jeremy Corbyn would “relish” a debate with Theresa May “about her botched Brexit deal and the future of our country”.
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— The Speaker (@speakerpolitics) November 26, 2018
