Here's what you need to know about Brexit after a tumultuous week in the UK: NPR


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Protesters hold placards in London on Friday.

Alastair Grant / AP


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Alastair Grant / AP

Protesters hold placards in London on Friday.

Alastair Grant / AP

This week has been one of the most chaotic British politics in recent decades. After more than a year of negotiations, Prime Minister Theresa May presented to the European Union a Brexit withdrawal agreement that seemed to unite British politicians from across the spectrum.

The interim agreement provoked the resignation of two of May's cabinet secretaries – including Dominic Raab, his Brexit secretary who helped negotiate it – as well as letters from members of his own Conservative party calling for a vote of censure with regard to his direction.

The remaining five members of the Brexiteer cabinet would press May to return to the EU to demand changes before the extraordinary summit in Brussels on 25 November, during which the 27 EU Member States must decide on the agreement. As the British like to say, the situation is a "disaster".

1. What is the main dispute in this draft agreement on Brexit?

The draft agreement covers everything from the reduction of police cooperation to payment by the United Kingdom of a $ 50 billion divorce bill. The biggest problem, however, was how to avoid building new customs posts on the island of Ireland. Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland are still within the single market of the European Union; it is therefore not necessary to create barriers along the border of more than 300 miles.

After the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will be part of two separate economies and will require customs control. Nobody has come up with a credible way to avoid a border. The UK has therefore agreed to remain inside the EU customs zone and to continue to follow EU regulations and laws until after the fact that the EU has not been able to do so. he can find a solution or enter into a new free trade agreement. .

2. Why is everyone so angry at this?

The Brexiteers hate this deal because they fear that the UK will be trapped within the EU for years, subject to EU regulations and laws on which the UK does not have a say. 39 will have no influence. They are also concerned that this will make it more difficult to enter into new trade agreements with other major economies such as the United States. Jacob Rees-Mogg, a Brexiteer archer, said the deal would turn the UK into a "state of slavery".

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labor Party who hopes to succeed in May, also criticized the agreement for not setting a date for the departure of the United Kingdom do it unilaterally.

"The government is in chaos," Corbyn said earlier this week. "Their agreement is likely to leave the country in an indefinite transition house with no real say."

3. Why do commentators say that this could be the end for Premier Theresa May?

May has had political difficulties since June 2017, when she managed to lose the majority of her party in parliament by holding elections that were not necessary. The Brexiteers of her own party blame her for the waiver agreement, claiming that she had reneged on her promise that "Brexit means Brexit" and that she was not following through on the results of the referendum of 2016. Earlier this week, the Premier faced a wave of criticism in the House of Commons, suggesting that she has very little chance of getting the agreement to the agreement. Parliament in December. She also faces the real risk of a censorship vote.

4. But what happens if May wins this fight?

It would be remarkable, but not unthinkable. For the moment, she is stuck between the Brexiteers of her party and the European Union, which does not seem to want to return to the negotiating table.

"All signs outside Europe indicate that it has taken years to do, it has been very difficult to get where we are and the appetite for reopening is rather limited," said Jill. Rutter, who studies Brexit at the Institute for Government. London think tank, told NPR.

In all fairness to the Prime Minister, securing a withdrawal agreement that would not guarantee any hard borders on the island of Ireland, satisfy the EU and make parliament happy would be, at best, extremely difficult. If she was able to get out of it, her image would almost certainly change. The public and the political class would see it less as a beleaguered leader in the back ranks than as a stubborn and determined official who was doing the work against the tide.

5. Follow this project agreement is it better to stay in the EU?

Many say that the conditions in the draft agreement are worse. When politicians pleaded for Brexit, they insisted that the UK take back control of its laws and regulations in Brussels. Under the withdrawal agreement, the UK remains in the customs business for who knows how long – free trade agreements can take years – while giving up its power as a member of the EU to shape the rules governing the functioning of the European Union.

6. Why does all this ultimately matter? Why should someone from outside Britain care?

A messy Brexit undermines the cohesion of the European Union, created to create prosperity and guarantee peace after the two world wars. The United Kingdom is the closest political ally of the United States. Countries are democracies, share a common language and their soldiers fought side by side in Europe and Afghanistan. A key ally in political chaos is not helpful for the United States, which faces an increasingly difficult global landscape that includes a reborn Russia and an increasingly assertive China.

Sam Alwyine-Mosely contributed to this report.

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