Conservative MPs discuss "hopeless" month of May over transition to Brexit | Policy



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Theresa May's accession to Brussels, according to which the UK could remain bound to the European Union for another year, provoked angry reaction from conservative backbenchers, who claimed that the prime minister was "desperate" and "renegade about everything".

Her refusal to deny information that she would have told the Irish that she was accepting the safety net to avoid a rigid border could not be limited in time, raising even more concern, Conservative MPs Warning that this raised questions as to whether the UK would actually leave.

The famous Brexiter President Priti Patel said that an extension would not "resolve" in any way the current concerns about the Irish border. "If the EU refuses to help us solve the border problem now, why will it take another three years to solve it?", She wrote in a Guardian article.

"I do not see the point of building a bigger bridge to nowhere. Why should we extend the transition phase when we do not know where and how we are going to make the transition? "

A backstop is needed to ensure that there is no hard border in Ireland if a comprehensive free trade agreement can not be signed until the end of 2020. Theresa May proposed to the EU that the whole of the UK remains in the customs union after Brexit, but Brussels said that it needed more time to evaluate the proposal.

As a result, the EU insists on having its own support – the backing of a backing – which would mean that Northern Ireland would remain in the single market and in the future. In the absence of a free trade agreement, this would raise strong objections from conservative Conservatives, the Brexiters, the DUP, which supports its government.

This prompted May to propose a nationwide alternative in which the whole of the UK would remain in parts of the customs union after Brexit.

"The EU still needs a" backstop ", which is an insurance policy for the insurance policy. And they want it to be the only solution proposed by Northern Ireland, "May told the MPs.

Addressing the stakes, the prime minister said that the EU's insistence posed a threat to the UK's constitution: "We have made it clear that we can not accept anything that threatens the integrity of our United Kingdom, "she added.

Former Minister John Penrose, a former remaining member of the European Brexit Research Group, said it was essential that the extension not be a "dead end bridge". He added: "There is a distinction between a period of implementation and an extension of negotiations.

"If it's not a period of time to implement something that has already been agreed upon, then people will be wondering if we'll ever go." This opens the way to the end of the road and marks the beginning of the inability to deliver what people voted for. "

Although No 10 urged Conservative MPs to be calm and calm about this proposal, anger at Westminster has spread beyond the Brexiters. Anna Soubry, the outspoken talker, said May "renounced everything that had been agreed" before.

A former minister said they were dismayed at the stalemate, warning that discontent over a possible waiver for Northern Ireland extended well beyond the ERG. "Things are bad for Britain and things are not going to go well", they said.

"We could be in terrible shape and Conservative MPs should have no illusions that the long-term destiny of our party is inextricably linked to this Brexit approach and its mismanagement by the Prime Minister. minister. "

Nick Boles, a former Conservative minister, described the move to extend the transitional period as "the last desperate move", suggesting that May was losing her party's confidence and that many MPs were "almost desperate" about to his projects.

"It's a classic of negotiations that she continues to think that another deal is going somehow [succeed], with a link and she is free, and she will not be, she is more and more trapped, "he said.

Boles, a close ally of Secretary for the Environment, Michael Gove, suggested an alternative arrangement that would allow the UK to enter into an agreement on the Norwegian-type European economic area with the exception of the US. EU, which would serve as a bridge to a possible trade agreement. .

Conservative sources said Boles met with senior members of GRE on Thursday to discuss his proposal, but that it was unlikely he would get support. "It's so obvious that it's a potential exit route for Gove," said a deputy. "We dream of being able to go with a sweet Brexit, then to strengthen it."

Other MPs, including ministers, called for restraint, and among the majority of conservative, generally loyal, backbench MPs, there was always the feeling that the prime minister should have the benefit. from doubt until December.

"It's a threat to the union that would be a real problem," said another centrist Conservative MP. "And I think most of us could take a brief extension of the transition, but nothing more than six months, for example, would be difficult."

Justice Secretary David Gauke said, "At this point, you risk ups and downs. Whenever you feel like you're progressing, you see a certain degree of ecstasy and, every time, no progress, people plunge into the depths of despair. The answer is: it's going to be hard, there will be ups and downs. "

He criticized conservative colleagues who suggested tearing what had already been agreed with the EU and starting again. It follows a letter from five former ministers, including Boris Johnson and David Davis, who urged May to reject both a support system for Northern Ireland and, most importantly, an all-British version.

"This inevitably places us in an abandonment zone and in these circumstances it is very difficult to predict … but some of my colleagues could potentially put Brexit at risk if they do," said Gauke. .

"We must respect the result of the referendum and do it in a way that protects jobs, the economy and the integrity of the United Kingdom. It's complex, it's a difficult process, and if we have to take a little time to get it right, it seems like a perfectly sensible thing to do. "

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