Apparently the UK prime minister Boris Johnson has got the Brexit deal, but an insight into the development gives rise to suspicion about the true nature of the deal and whether it will prove to be successful. The deal is to be ratified by the parliament and Boris is ‘very confident’ that his deal will be approved by the parliament.
At the same time he ought to be pragmatic. The parliament during the last couple of months has rejected his move on Brexit at least on four occasions. Boris’s latest offer to European Union does not strictly adhere to the basics of Brexit.
Though Boris gave the impression that his deal was original, in reality much of Theresa May’s deal remains, notably protection of the rights of 5 million citizens of the EU and UK affected by Brexit, the divorce settlement and a transition period. The rewritten Irish protocol is modelled on the EU’s original plan for Northern Ireland, a proposal rejected by May 18 months ago, but the EU has given ground on consent.
While the deal has got enough support from the EU countries and their leaders, it is scepticism that dictates the UK politicians. Some top UK leaders nurse the feeling that Boris has succumbed to EU pressure. Yet another factor that prevailed was his desire to keep Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn away from power and not allow him to experiment with his socialist and leftist policies.
However Boris is confident of getting support from other opposition parties, including some votes from Labour Party It is feared that his own 21 Tory MPs may not fall in line and support the latest deal. The arithmetic looks daunting for Johnson, after he opted to press ahead and sign up to a deal after the DUP issued a statement saying it could not support the government’s position.
There is a general feeling in the political circle that he does not have any substantial offer to make to the members except the “level playing field”. He could not spell out in concrete terms the future UK will have with EU. The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell has been harsh and dubbed it a “sellout deal”, adding: “He has sold out virtually every sector of our economy and all those who may have voted to leave believing a deal could be secured that protected their jobs.”
Expectations had been rising that Labour would work together with other opposition parties to try to secure a referendum. However Corbyn suggested his first priority was to vote down Johnson’s deal. “We are unhappy with this deal and as it stands we will vote against it, although obviously we will need to see all of the last details of it,” he said.
EU leaders and MEPs have given a cautious welcome to the draft Brexit deal struck between the EU and the UK but warned it faced major hurdles in the British and European parliaments and could take time to ratify. France’s president, Emmanuel Macron said, “based on past experience, we have to be reasonably cautious. History tells us parliaments may not like the agreement.”
The German chancellor called the agreement “a compromise for all sides” but noted that it contains key demands from the EU side, including maintaining the integrity of the common market and preserving the Good Friday Agreement.
Boris is in a hurry. He does not intend to give enough space to Labour. If Johnson’s deal fails and he is forced to request an extension, it is possible he could move to call an election as soon as Monday. Corbyn blasts Johnson's Brexit deal as 'even worse than Theresa May's' agreement and 'will whip his MPs to back a second referendum'. In fact he wants a general election before a referendum. Corbyn tore into the proposal hammed out in Brussels this morning to end years of stalemate.
The UK and the EU have agreed to a new Brexit deal as Johnson assured he would ask MPs to vote for it on Saturday despite continued DUP opposition. However, the DUP has rejected the proposed agreement which means it is far from certain that it will be agreed by a majority of MPs when Parliament sits at the weekend. Dealing another hammer blow to the fledgling blueprint, they also condemned a 'lack of clarity' on whether EU VAT rates will apply in the province.
Corbyn says Labour will negotiate a Brexit deal which maintains a very close trading relationship with the EU. This would be achieved by staying in a customs union and keeping close alignment to the single market.
British lawmakers remain uncertain about the parliamentary future of a Brexit deal that Johnson is seeking to finalize with fellow European counterparts at a high-pressure Brussels meeting.
Johnson has dared opponents to allow him to have an election, but Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has refused on the grounds that it might permit Johnson to unilaterally exit the European Union under the economically damaging scenario that’s now commonly referred to as “no deal.”
The writer is a freelance journalist.
Views are personal.
