Brexit draft agreement eliminates first hurdle with Cabinet support: NPR

The draft agreement on Brexit has lifted its first crucial hurdle. British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday that the agreement in principle, which provides for the UK's exit from the European Union, has gained support from her closest cabinet ministers.

"This is a decisive step that allows us to move forward and finalize the agreement in the coming days," May told reporters outside the Prime Minister's residence at 10 Downing St "These decisions were not taken lightly, but I believe it is firmly in the national interest."

The Prime Minister's remarks were brief, deliberate – and were made in front of the crowd of protesters gathered near the media. The scene has clearly shown something else: the Cabinet approval is only the first step on the rather discouraging path of the draft agreement towards adoption.

Dozens of British legislators across the ideological spectrum have already expressed their skepticism – or total rejection – of the project. Many of them started doing this before even checking their official details. Some of the most virulent critics are from May's conservative party.

"Is the Prime Minister aware that, if the reports on the EU agreement are accurate, you are not delivering the Brexit vote and you will lose the support of many conservatives? [members of Parliament] and millions of voters across the country? Peter Bone, a conservative supporter of Brexit, told lawmakers on Wednesday.

Many conservatives are unhappy that the agreement does not sufficiently separate the UK from the EU's single market. They argue that several provisions of the 585-page draft agreement – now fully published online – subject the United Kingdom to European regulations in many of the most contentious areas of divorce, including a long transition period and protections for the British and the Europeans. nationals abroad.

But perhaps the most controversial issue in the deal is 300 pages: the thorny issue of Northern Ireland.

Under the 20-year-old Good Friday Agreement, which ended decades of sectarian violence, the UK region shares an open land border with the Republic of Ireland, a committed member of the EU. This border has caused confusion among the negotiators, as it seems to contradict a Brexit that would largely close British borders to the EU's single market.

This is also a problem for May, in particular, as her fragile ruling coalition depends on the support of the relatively small Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland. Although a majority of the region in 2016 voted in favor of keeping the EU, the DUP vehemently opposed an agreement leaving it "tied to the regulation of the EU". EU ".

"It's a bad deal.It's a bad deal.It's an agreement that [May] said she would never agree, "Sammy Wilson, DUP spokesperson on Brexit, says to the BBC Wednesday. "And I think when it comes to the House of Commons, she will find that there are many people who share this view."

The project has also been criticized by some of the most common suspects – May's Labor Party rivals and Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who both campaigned to stay in the EU. In this case, Sturgeon's complaint is the opposite of that expressed by the DUP: she is unhappy with the greater distance that Scotland has with the EU.

"That would take Scotland out of the single market, which would be serious enough in itself, but we would do it while letting ourselves compete for investment and job creation with a Northern Ireland that would actually stay in the single market, "Sturgeon said. said British broadcaster ITV. "It would be the worst of all possible worlds."

That said, the agreement is far from concluded. He has the support not only of the May Cabinet, but also many EU members, including Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of the Republic of Ireland, Leo Varadkar. He hailed the agreement as "a very solid stage of the trip".

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier described the agreement in similar terms during an interview with journalists in Brussels. "I feel that we have taken a decisive and fundamental step towards an orderly withdrawal today," he said.

The next stage is scheduled for Thursday, when May plans to present the deal in a speech in the House of Commons in London. "It's my job as prime minister to explain the decisions made by the government, and I'm ready to do that, starting with a statement in Parliament," she promised Wednesday.

"When you get rid of the details, the choice that is presented to us is clear: this agreement that follows the referendum vote, which restores control of our money, our laws and our borders," she added. "Or leave without any agreement – or without Brexit at all."