British Parliament is preparing to vote on a draft Brexit deal secured by Prime Minister Theresa May and EU negotiators. But opposition lawmakers, including Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, have vowed to oppose it despite the EU’s latest clarifications.
These are the salient points made on Thursday, ahead of the crucial vote on Brexit
May will loose vote by 100 votes – Sky Projection
Michel Barnier : “Listening to debate in HouseofCommons : there seems to be a dangerous illusion that the UK can benefit from a transition in the absence of the Withdrawal Agreement.
Let me be clear: the only legal basis for a transition is the Withdrawal Agreement. No “withdrawal agreement means no transition.
European Commission vice-president Jyrki Katainen has said if the deal is rejected this evening, the prospect of a “hard Brexit” moved closer and his advice was “fasten your seatbelt”.
He told reporters in Strasbourg: “Depending on the vote in the Commons, we are either moving forward to orderly withdrawal or hard Brexit is closer again, more close than ever it has been.
“So, keep your hands on the wheel, look forward and fasten your seatbelt.”
Nicola Sturgeon SNP : “Had the PM not spent all her energy trying to appease ERG/DUP and instead tried to find a compromise founded on a recognition that two of four nations and 48% overall in UK voted to remain, she might not be where she is now.”
Theresa May: May said that she had secured the best changes to the deal available. Answering the question of an MP from her Conservative party, she confirmed that if Britain voted to extend the negotiation period, all EU member states would have to agree and would potentially be able to set the conditions of the extension.
A bad deal would be even worse than no deal, but this is a good deal. There is no guarantee the EU would offer an extension to Article 50.
Theresa May added that if her deal is not passed tonight “then Brexit might be lost”
Jacob Rees-Mogg, chairman of the European Research Group, has warned against only just five hours for MPs to consider Theresa May’s deal – which could “determine the nation’s future for a generation or more”.
Mr Rees-Mogg, who unsuccessfully pushed for another day of debate on the Brexit deal motion, said: “It also does not help the government achieve what it wishes to achieve – and that is a majority in the vote at the end of today’s proceedings.
“Because if people feel that they have been bounced, that they have been hurried and they have been harried, the natural instinct is not necessarily to cave in, but it is in fact to stiffen their resolve and see how the cards fall.” – Sky News
DUP Spokesman “The prime minister set out a clear objective for legally binding change which would command a majority in the House of Commons in line with the Brady amendment. We recognise that the prime minister has made limited progress in her discussions with the European Union. However in our view sufficient progress has not been achieved at this time.”
“Having carefully considered the published material as well as measuring what has been achieved against our own fundamental tests, namely the impact of the backstop on the constitutional and economic integrity of the Union of the United Kingdom, it is clear that the risks remain that the UK would be unable to lawfully exit the backstop were it to be activated.”
“We want to see a deal which works for every part of the United Kingdom. We will support the right deal which respects the referendum result and Northern Ireland’s place as an integral part of the United Kingdom.”
“The European Union has been intransigent. It is possible to reach a sensible deal which works for the United Kingdom and the European Union but it will require all sides to be reasonable and in deal making mode.”
Via Sky News / BBC / The Telegraph / DW
