Brexit Agreement: Theresa May answers questions from MPs

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Theresa May will face a criticism of MPs later on the draft agreement on Brexit that the UK has with the EU.

The Prime Minister badured his cabinet's support for the agreement after a five-hour meeting, although several ministers voted against it.

She also faced a reaction from Tory Brexiteers and her supporters of the DUP, among suggestions for measures to impose a vote of no confidence.

Labor will announce later whether they will support the transaction or not.

However, leader Jeremy Corbyn said he did not believe that the agreement – set out in a 585 – page document – was in the national interest.

Ms. May is due to make a statement in the House of Commons on Thursday morning.

She walked out of the marathon cabinet meeting Wednesday night and said her choice in front of the UK was clear.

"This agreement, which results in the vote of the referendum, restores the control of our money, our laws and our borders, puts an end to free movement, protects the jobs, the security and our Union, or leaves without any agreement, nor no Brexit. "

The EU said the agreement constituted a "breakthrough", paving the way for a special summit of EU leaders to endorse it.

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However, Brexiteer MEPs were irritated by a "support" provision allowing the temporary creation of a "single EU-UK customs territory" to prevent border controls in Ireland if no trade agreement it was concluded.

They fear that the UK will remain bound by EU rules for years.

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the threat of resignation from the cabinet was still topical and that the prime minister could still face a challenge for his leadership on Thursday.

Assuming she survives in office, Ms. May will face a battle to get the House of Commons agreement before the UK's exit from the EU on March 29th.

She met on Wednesday evening with Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, DUP leader Arlene Foster and Nicola Sturgeon, Prime Minister of Scotland.

What was agreed?

A draft agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union and a statement indicating what the two parties want their future relations to look like.

The retraction agreement covers so-called "divorce" issues. It includes a commitment to protect the rights of EU citizens in the UK and the UK in the EU to continue to live, work and study.

A 21-month transition period is also planned after the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union in March 2019, as well as a British "Financial Regulation", estimated between £ 35 and £ 39 billion.

The most controversial part of the negotiations has been the "backstop", which aims to ensure that physical checks will not be restored at the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, regardless of the long-term arrangements agreed upon. later.

This support will mean that Northern Ireland will remain aligned with certain EU rules concerning, for example, standards for food products.

This will avoid having to check goods at the Irish border, but some products imported from the rest of the United Kingdom into Northern Ireland would have to undergo further checks and controls.

The backstop would also involve a single and temporary customs territory, thus allowing the whole of the United Kingdom to remain in the EU customs union.

The Brexiteers are unhappy with the prospect of being bound by EU customs rules in the long run, especially since the agreement could only be terminated by mutual consent of Brussels and the EU. London.

Meanwhile, the DUP has declared that it will not tolerate anything that would create a new frontier along the sea of ​​Ireland.

Both parties have decided to make sure that the safety net is not needed by proposing other solutions.

24 hours crucial

By BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg

The threat of resignation is still topical.

Esther McVey, the Secretary of Labor and Pensions, seems most likely to leave, followed by International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt. And there is silence tonight and a lot of discussion about the position of Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab.

We might not be a problem for the PM. The departure of Mordaunt and / or Raab, or both, with ambitions for the top job, would be very dangerous for No 10.

Just as in the immediate future, the simple Brexiteer deputies are furious, as is the DUP.

And it is possible that the postman of Parliament is extremely busy Thursday with letters that could trigger a challenge for Ms. May.

A senior conservative told me Wednesday night that there would likely be a move against the prime minister in the next 24 hours. Another stated that they would be surprised if enough objections to launch a contest had not emerged at lunch time.

Read more about Laura

DUP leader Arlene Foster described her encounter with Ms. May as "frank".

"She is fully aware of our position and our concerns," she tweeted.

Ms. Sturgeon said that Scotland was not mentioned in the agreement which she said "ignores our interests and places Scotland in a situation of serious competitive disadvantage".

The Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar congratulated Ms. May for "keeping her promise" to prevent a hard border.

He said Wednesday had been "one of the best days in politics" and that avoiding a hard border had been "one of the toughest challenges" of the process.

However, the prominent conservative Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, who wrote to MPs urging them to oppose these proposals, told BBC Radio 5 Live that it was "a pretty rotten market". ", now the United Kingdom into the EU customs union and" separating "the United Kingdom. .

On the pro-European side of the debate, the Best for Britain campaign said that Ms. May had "sacrificed the national interest for the sake of her own preservation".

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) stated that the agreement constituted a "progress" since it allowed the UK to "get away from the nightmare precipice of non-agreement while the Freight Transport Association and the National Farmers & Union also welcomed this publication.

The view of Brussels

By Katya Adler, Editor-in-Chief of BBC Europe

Brussels does not want to give the impression that the EU could change or propose a "better" text on the Brexit agreement if it ends up being rejected in the House of Commons.

According to Theresa May, Mr Barnier said that it was an agreement in the interest of the United Kingdom.

In fact, he spoke so warmly about the agreement – the harshness of the negotiations of the European and British negotiators, their success in protecting the rights of citizens, the Irish border and the constitutional integrity of the EU. UK – that a colleague has commented. it was as if Mr. Barnier, renowned for his suave French style, thought he had managed to pull out an exquisitely designed Faberge egg from the complex process of Brexit.

It is not surprising that he does not want to attack the possibility that this egg is broken.

Read Katya's blog in full