Brexit Vote in Commons to take place on 10 or 11 December – EU officials have been told to expect the parliamentary vote on the Brexit deal on 10 or 11 December, according to senior sources in Brussels.
Update : May’s Press Conference
Theresa May, in a Press Conference said today was the culmination of a long and difficult process. Some people said there would not be a deal. May says she rejected that counsel of despair.
She says she wants to speak to the British people and tell them what this deal means. First, it means control of our borders. She says free movement will end. Second, it will mean control of our money. There will be no more vast annual payments to the EU. Money can be spend on British priorities. Third, it will mean the end of the jurisdiction of the ECJ.
May says all these things are in the national interest. The UK will also be free from the common agricultural policy and the common fisheries policies. On borders, laws and money, this deal delivers for the British people.
But, May says, she also wanted a deal that protects things Britons value. If your job is in the manufacturing sector, you want goods to be able to cross borders easily. This deal provides that.
She says it also protects the interests of EU nationals already in the UK. And it will preserve security cooperation with the EU.
In a joint Press Conference with Donald Tusk and Michel Barnier, JeanClaude Juncker reaffirmed this is a very sad day. “It is not a day for raising champagne glasses.” Everyone who spoke today spoke of their sadness. He added that this view is broadly shared, if not unanimously shared, stressing that the unity of the 27 has been maintained, despite the pressure, some of it from the UK. In a message directed towards British MPs, Juncker said this is the “best deal possible”, and “the only deal possible”.
Tusk stated the outcome of the European council endorsed the withdrawal agreement adding that regardless of how it all ends, one thing is certain – we will remain friends until the end of days, and one day longer.
Earlier
EU leaders have given their backing to the Brexit deal struck with Theresa May, and as The Guardian puts it fired the starting pistol on the prime minister’s race to win parliamentary approval in time for the UK’s withdrawal next March.
At an extraordinary summit in Brussels, the bloc’s 27 heads of state and government took a decisive and historic step towards sealing the terms of Britain’s split from Brussels after 44 years of membership.
Unanimous support was given to the terms of a voluminous draft withdrawal treaty, covering citizens’ rights, the £39bn divorce bill, and the Irish border issue, along with a 26-page political declaration setting out the basis of the future relationship. – The Guardian
In a statement, the EU’s leaders stated their intention to build “as close as possible a partnership” with the UK after Brexit, while warning that they would be “permanently seized” in future negotiations by the principle that countries outside the bloc cannot enjoy the same rights as those within.
POLITICO reports EU leaders warned that there could be no meaningful renegotiation of the agreement, even if the British parliament rejects it.
The deal on the table, the product of a year and a half of complex and sometimes fractious negotiations, was “the best possible” and the EU “will not change its fundamental position,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said, arriving at the European Council meeting Sunday.
Summit Under Way.
The summit started with an exchange of views with the President of the European Parliament, which is to be followed by a working session of the European Council on (Art.50).
Pre-Summit Comments
If Brexit goes ahead, Malta will be losing an ally with which the country sees eye to eye with on many issues, Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said on a radio interview on Sunday.
French president Emmanuel Macron , said today was neither a moment of joy nor grief. It is a moment of “dignity”. He also mentioned Brexit in the context of it being a sign Europe must reform itself.
European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker says it is a sad day.
He adds this is the deal. It is the best deal possible. And the European Union will not change its fundamental position when it comes to these issues. He also adds that he thinks the British parliament, because this is a wise parliament, will ratify this deal.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar thinks it would be better if the UK stayed in the EU. But he respects its decision to leave. They have negotiated an agreement that will protect the economy, he says. It has been a very difficult deal to negotiate. But he expects it to be approved.
EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier says he has has never worked against the UK only with it.
European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said the European parliament is in favour of this agreement. It is a good agreement for both. “I want to be optimistic. The European parliament will vote a resolution in December, and probably in January, or February, we will vote [for] the agreement. We want to work with the British parliament for better relations in the future.”
The Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says there are no political winners from #Brexit.
Lithuania’s president Dalia Grybauskaite said there’s nothing good in the Brexit deal for either side – and that it’s ultimately up to the UK whether to agree hinting that there could be a 2nd referendum
French president Emmanuel Macron , said today was neither a moment of joy nor grief. It is a moment of “dignity”. He also mentioned Brexit in the context of it being a sign Europe must reform itself.
European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker says it is a sad day.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar thinks it would be better if the UK stayed in the EU. But he respects its decision to leave. They have negotiated an agreement that will protect the economy, he says. It has been a very difficult deal to negotiate. But he expects it to be approved.
EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier says he has has never worked against the UK only with it.
European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said the European parliament is in favour of this agreement. It is a good agreement for both. “I want to be optimistic. The European parliament will vote a resolution in December, and probably in January, or February, we will vote [for] the agreement. We want to work with the British parliament for better relations in the future.”
