Johnson Hails ‘Great’ New Brexit Deal But DUP Says ‘No’

Britain and the EU have been racing to renegotiate the Withdrawal Agreement in time for an October 31 Brexit, but the deal still needs approval from parliament.

London: Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday that Britain and the European Union had agreed a “great” new Brexit deal but still faced resistance from the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) as he sought support for the deal.

Britain and the European Union have been racing to renegotiate the Withdrawal Agreement in time for an October 31 Brexit, but the deal still needs approval from parliament.

However, the DUP, who have expressed concerns that the Brexit deal could cut Northern Ireland off from Britain in customs and regulatory terms, said there had been no change in their position following the confirmation of the deal.

Also read: Countdown to Brexit: The Meetings That Will Decide the Agreement

Earlier the DUP had said it could not support the last-ditch Brexit proposal due to concerns about the issues of customs and consent, adding there was a lack of clarity on VAT (sales tax) arrangements.

EU Warns Britain Heading For A No-Deal Brexit

Britain’s departure has already been delayed twice since March and Johnson has vowed he would not seek another extension.

Strasbourg/Brussels: The European Union warned on Wednesday that Britain was headed for a damaging no-deal Brexit, with London’s ideas for solving the contentious issue of the Irish border still unlikely to unlock a deal just six weeks before Britain is due to leave.

Addressing EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had told him on Monday that London still wanted a deal, but would leave with or without one on October 31.

“There is very little time left … The risk of a no-deal is very real,” said Juncker, his comments weighing on sterling. Pro-Brexit lawmakers cheered and applauded in the Strasbourg chamber. “It’s time for a clean-break Brexit,” said Brexit campaigner Matthew Patten. Other pro-Brexit EU deputies tried to shout down pro-EU British colleagues, shouting “you lost!” and “rubbish!”

A majority of EU lawmakers later voted for an extension to Britain‘s scheduled departure date in a resolution that is not binding but which has political weight. EU leaders will meet for a make-or-break summit in Brussels on October 17-18, just a fortnight before Brexit is due to materialise more than three years after Britons voted to leave.

US investment bank JP Morgan sounded negative on Wednesday about the prospects of Johnson striking a deal then after recent rounds of talks between the two sides showed significant gaps remain.

Also read: UK Govt Comes Up With Worst-Case Scenario Plan For Hard Brexit

Britain is not likely to present a complete set of detailed, written proposals of how it would want the text of the existing – but stalled – Brexit deal changed before the end of the month, UK and EU sources said.

“If that is the case, the summit will end with nothing,” an EU diplomat dealing with Brexit in Brussels said. “If there is to be a deal, it must be prepared to a large extent in advance. It is too technical to leave to the leaders at the last minute.”

In a worst-case scenario, a no-deal Brexit could mean severe disruption to trade, supplies of medicines, fresh foods and possible public disorder, according to the British government’s contingency plans. Such a sharp break in economic ties, ending four decades of EU membership, “might be the United Kingdom’s choice, but never the choice of the EU,” Juncker said, highlighting how the bloc wants to avoid blame if Britain crashes out.

Juncker said London must present realistic proposals to replace the Irish backstop arrangement in the BritainEU divorce agreement, which former premier Theresa May agreed with EU leaders but which was rejected by the British parliament. “I am not emotionally attached to the Irish backstop,” Juncker said. “I have asked the prime minister to make, in writing, alternatives,” he said, calling it a safety net to avoid a divided Ireland after Brexit.

The backstop would require Britain to obey some EU rules if no other way could be found to keep the land border between British-ruled Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland invisible. His pessimistic tone was echoed by Finland’s minister for European affairs, Tytti Tuppurainen, who told the parliament that a no-deal Brexit “is a quite likely outcome.” Finland holds the EU‘s rotating presidency.

“Stupid” Brexit, “Disreputable” PM

However, many EU lawmakers warned against a no-deal, both to avoid an economic shock and because they do not want to see Britain abandon its commitments to EU social and environmental standards and become a low-tax, low-regulation rival.

“We will not accept a Singapore on the North Sea,” said former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, a liberal EU lawmaker and a member of the parliament’s Brexit committee. At times bad-tempered debate underscoring general weariness on the tortured issue of Britain‘s pending departure, senior EU lawmakers took jabs at the noisy contingent of British eurosceptic deputies in the chamber.

Manfred Weber, leader of the centre-right EPP group, called Brexit “stupid”. He and Verhofstadt took aim at British plans for greater sovereignty at a time when the parliament in Westminster has been suspended by Johnson. British pro-EU deputy Julie Ward called the prime minister “disreputable”.

Also read: Brexit: What’s Happened and What’s Next?

Brexiteers claimed Westminster would take back control, but now they shut it down,” Weber, a German lawmaker, said in Strasbourg, as the Supreme Court in London continued hearing arguments on whether Johnson acted unlawfully in suspending the parliament in the run-up to Brexit.

The European Parliament formally called on Wednesday for Britain to be granted another extension to allow more time for London to agree the terms of its withdrawal. The resolution passed with 544 in favour, 126 against and 38 abstentions. Britain‘s departure has already been delayed twice since March and Johnson has vowed he would not seek another extension.

The EU‘s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said a no-deal Brexit would not resolve any of the issues around the rights of EU citizens, the Irish border and British obligations under the bloc’s long-term budget.

“If the United Kingdom leaves without a deal, all these questions will not disappear. They are still there,” Barnier told the EU chamber. “Some three years after the Brexit referendum we should not be pretending to negotiate.”

Brexit: What’s Happened and What’s Next?

For the third time in two days, Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered major defeats in his plans to take the UK out of the EU with or without a deal.


British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s attempt to call a snap election failed to garner the support of two-thirds of lawmakers in the House of Commons on Wednesday – leaving the Brexit process in limbo.

It was his third defeat in the lower house of parliament in just two days – coming right after opposition MPs and rebels in Johnson’s Conservatives approved a Bill that could force Johnson to ask the European Union for another Brexit delay, a step he has repeatedly said he would not take.

With Johnson losing his majority after expelling rebel Tory MPs and with time running out until the UK is due to leave the EU on October 31, here’s a look at what to look out for over the next few days.

What’s happening with the no-deal Brexit Bill?

The Bill was passed in the House of Commons. Now lawmakers in the upper chamber of parliament, the House of Lords, will debate it. Time will be tight to get the Bill approved, as Johnson has moved to suspend Parliament as of next week.

The House of Lords took part in a rare late-night session on Wednesday, with pro-Brexit members threatening to try and stop the Bill by talking so much that time runs out. The House of Lords agreed that all stages of the legislation would be completed by Friday at 5 p.m. That would give the House of Commons enough time to debate any amendments made by the upper house and send the legislation – if it passes again – to Queen Elizabeth II, who could put the law into effect by as soon as Monday.

The Bill would force Johnson to delay Britain’s EU exit until January 31, unless parliament approves a new deal or votes to support a no-deal Brexit by October 19 – which are both unlikely scenarios.

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks at the House of Commons in London, Britain September 3, 2019. Photo: ©UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor

Is a no-deal Brexit off the table?

The UK could still crash out of the EU without a transition agreement – the only question would be when that would take place. The current Bill only delays the issue, kicking the can down the road until January.

Any extension would also need the unanimous approval of the leaders of the remaining 27 EU member-states – and the British government would have to provide a valid reason for doing so.

Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, said on Wednesday there isn’t enough widespread support among EU leaders to grant a third extension.

Although EU leaders are growing frustrated with the stalled process and preparing for a no-deal scenario, they’re also looking to avoid the likely economic catastrophe that would come with the UK leaving without a deal.

Besides a no-deal Brexit, the UK could also still leave with a deal that would smooth the transition, or it could call Brexit off altogether.

Is a snap election still on the horizon?

Despite Johnson’s failed bid to call a snap election, Britain could soon be headed to the polls. Once again, it’s a question of timing.

Johnson wanted to hold the election on October 15 – just a few days before an EU leaders summit in Brussels from October 17 to 18.

Opposition Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn said he supports early elections, but only once the no-deal Brexit blocking Bill has been passed. The Labour leader also reportedly said that he wouldn’t want to hold the election before the current Brexit deadline on October 31, according to the BBC.

This article was originally published on DW.

Theresa May Shuns Pro-EU Lawmakers to Win the Brexit Vote

May adopted a risky strategy by facing off with rebels in her Conservative Party and it paid off.

London: UK Prime Minister Theresa May won a crucial Brexit vote in parliament on Wednesday, keeping her divided government’s plans to end more than 40 years of British partnership with EU on track.

After pro-EU Conservative lawmaker Dominic Grieve said he would support the government’s proposal for a “meaningful vote” in parliament on Britain’s exit, a potential rebellion that could have undermined May‘s authority was averted.

May adopted a high-risk strategy by facing off with rebels in her Conservative Party, and it paid off. The upper house of parliament later approved the bill, paving the way for it to become law after gaining formal “Royal Assent” from the Queen.

May said in a statement that the bill’s passage was a crucial step in delivering Brexit, and more details of proposed future links with EU would be published in the coming weeks.

But the battle over EU withdrawal bill, her Brexit blueprint, maybe a taste of things to come. May needs to get several other bills through parliament to prepare Britain for life outside the EU, a momentous change to its trading and political relationships after decades in the bloc.

Some of her opponents on Brexit may simply have decided to keep their powder dry for later fights on issues such as future trading ties and customs arrangements with the bloc before Britain’s scheduled departure in March next year.

Six Conservatives still voted against the government. But for now, May will be relieved to have overcome another potential crisis over her proposal for the role of parliament, should she fail to negotiate an exit agreement with EU or if lawmakers reject any deal she returns with from Brussels.

“There was a great point of principle here, which was that the government has to be able to be free to negotiate and we have to be able to hold out in our negotiations the prospect of no deal, otherwise all the advantage would have been with the EU side,” trade minister Liam Fox told the BBC.

Other Conservatives agreed. “It strengthens our hand,” said one, while opposition lawmakers described the vote as disappointing.

Sterling rose to a session high against the euro and climbed against the dollar after May won the rare victory, one which will give the weakened Prime Minister a firmer footing when she travels to Brussels next week for an EU summit.

Talks with the bloc have all but stalled, with May‘s top team of ministers at odds over plans for future trading relations with the EU, which businesses complain makes them unable to plan their investment decisions.

About-turn

Before his about-turn, Grieve had argued that government promises did not hand parliament enough control to prevent the “chaos” that could follow Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal.

Grieve seemed to have won over several fellow Conservatives but after days of lobbying by party officials, he seemed to have put his concerns aside.

Grieve told the House of Commons he now saw the need to take account of May‘s concerns over the state of the negotiations. He also said he had been reassured by a statement saying it was up to the parliamentary speaker to grant lawmakers greater influence over ministers in the event of no deal.

“And in the circumstances that might follow a no deal, which would undoubtedly be one of the biggest political crises in modern British history, if the house wishes to speak … the house has the power to do it,” Grieve said.

With his words, May was able to enjoy victory in a parliament that is stacked against her since she lost her majority at an ill-judged election last year.

But businesses are still seeking more certainty. “My biggest worry about Brexit is that I don’t know what we are planning for,” Juergen Maier, the UK CEO of German engineering giant Siemens told Reuters in an interview.

“We need to put something in place quickly that works and if that is not possible, and until that point, then we have to just default to staying in the customs union.”

(Reuters)

Brexit Legislation Under Fire As It Enters Upper House

The House of Lords Constitution Committee said in a report published on Monday that the legislation to end Britain’s European Union membership has “fundamental flaws”.

Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street, London, January 24, 2018. Credit: Reuters/Toby Melville

London: British Prime Minister Theresa May faces a fresh challenge pushing her flagship Brexit law through parliament after lawmakers demanded changes only a day before parliament’s upper house begins to debate the legislation.

The House of Lords Constitution Committee said in a report published on Monday that the legislation to end Britain’s European Union membership has “fundamental flaws”, including ministerial powers it considers too sweeping.

“We acknowledge the scale, challenge and unprecedented nature of the task of converting existing EU law into UK law, but as it stands this bill is constitutionally unacceptable,” said committee chairwoman Ann Taylor.

The legislation is likely to be given a rough ride by the largely pro-EU lawmakers in the upper house and comes as Prime Minister May battles rebellion within her own party over the best route out of the bloc, which Britain is scheduled to leave in March 2019.

The Lords committee expressed concern that the government will use the Brexit process to reshape EU laws without proper parliamentary scrutiny as they move into British law.

“The bill grants ministers overly-broad powers to do whatever they think is ‘appropriate’ to correct ‘deficiencies’ in retained EU law,” the report said. “This gives ministers far greater latitude than is constitutionally acceptable.”

The committee also urged the government to reach agreement about which powers currently held in Brussels will return to Britain’s central government and which will be devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The legislation was cleared by the House of Commons this month and will begin its journey through the House of Lords on January 30. It is expected to take until the summer for it to become law.

(Reuters)

Brexit Rebels Offer to Compromise on EU Exit Deal

British lawmakers who inflicted defeat on Prime Minister Theresa May last week in parliament over Brexit have signalled a possible compromise.

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street in London, September 6, 2017. Credit: REUTERS/Toby Melville

Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May. Credit: Reuters/Toby Melville

London: British lawmakers who inflicted defeat on Prime Minister Theresa May last week in parliament over Brexit have signalled a possible compromise to avoid another row on Wednesday when legislation taking Britain out of the EU is debated.

The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, which will repeal the 1972 legislation binding Britain to the EU and copy existing EU law into domestic law, has tested May’s authority to deliver on her Brexit plan during several days of line-by-line debate.

Last week, 11 lawmakers from her Conservative Party rebelled against their leader, joining forces with the opposition to force through changes giving parliament greater guarantees of a meaningful vote on the final Brexit deal.

However, another row, this time over the government’s desire to fix the planned date of Britain’s departure into law, could be averted on Wednesday after rebels said they were prepared to agree to it if another proviso were inserted in the Bill allowing that date to be changed if necessary.

Pro-EU Conservative Nicky Morgan, who voted against the government last week, said on Twitter she would back the plan when it comes to a vote. Some of the other rebels also publicly indicated their support.

Divided parliament

Last week’s defeat underscored just one of the serious difficulties May faces in taking the country out of the EU.

As well as navigating a divided parliament without an overall majority, she has to please ministers who are deeply split over the country’s long term relationship with Brussels and negotiate a deal from an EU which is keen to send a discouraging message to other potentially wayward states.

The initial move to define March 29, 2019 in law as “exit day” was designed to ease pressure on the government from Brexiters who fear slow negotiations and opposition to the divorce could cause delays.

The government has not confirmed it will accept the compromise plan, which represents a watering-down of its original intention, but has said it will consider its response and remains open to changes that will improve the legislation.

However, ministers have limited room to manoeuvre with over 40 conservative lawmakers signed up to the proposal – more than enough to defeat May if opposition parties also back it.

“It would be foolhardy to make assumptions either about the votes of colleagues or about the decisions of government. But I am cautiously optimistic that the government will accept my amendments and that they will carry,” said Oliver Letwin, the former minister responsible for brokering the compromise.

Wednesday’s debate is the last in the current stage of the legislating process but the bill will receive further scrutiny in both chambers of parliament over the coming months before it is finally approved.

(Reuters)

In Bid to Unlock Brexit Talks, Theresa May Sets out Transition Plan

May’s proposals for such a transition, for meeting Britain’s financial obligations and for protecting EU citizens’ rights, fell short of what the EU wanted.

May’s proposals for such a transition, for meeting Britain’s financial obligations and for protecting EU citizens’ rights, fell short of what the EU wanted.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at the Complesso Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy September 22, 2017. Credit: Reuters

Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at the Complesso Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy September 22, 2017. Credit: Reuters

Florence: Prime Minister Theresa May set out a plan on Friday to retain full access to the EU’s single market for two years after Brexit to try to reassure business and reset the tone of stalled negotiations with Brussels.

But her proposals for such a transition, for meeting Britain’s financial obligations and for protecting EU citizens’ rights, fell short of what the EU wanted.

EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier praised the speech for its “constructive spirit” but asked for more detail. Another official said it had left him “even more concerned”.

In a speech at a 14th-century church in Florence, Italy, May appealed directly to EU leaders to unlock the talks, which have stalled over a series of issues, including the size of the bill Britain should pay as part of its divorce settlement.

She spent much of her 30-minute speech describing the similarities between Britain and the EU, saying that if the complicated talks to unravel more than 40 years of union should fail, the only beneficiaries would be those who oppose democracy, liberalism and free trade.

The sterling fell against both the dollar and the euro during May’s speech, weakening by more than half a cent against the US currency.

Late on Friday ratings agency Moody’s downgraded its assessment of Britain’s creditworthiness, saying Brexit was damaging the country’s medium-term growth prospects. The government said Moody’s view was “outdated” and did not consider May’s most recent comments.

“Clearly people, businesses and public services should only have to plan for one set of changes in the relationship between the UK and the EU,” May told an audience of Italian business leaders and diplomats.

“So during the implementation period, access to one another’s markets should continue on current terms, and Britain also should continue to take part in existing security measures.”

Britain wants to move the talks forward and start addressing how a future relationship with the EU would work, a move May’s government says is vital if they want to find agreement on the divorce bill.

But the EU has stood firm, refusing to discuss trading arrangements until “sufficient progress” is made on the first three issues – the financial settlement, the land border with EU member Ireland and the protection of expatriates’ rights.

Concessions

Beyond her vision for a transition, involving around two years of trading on the same terms, but no payments for access to the EU single market, May pledged to protect EU citizens’ rights in Britain after Brexit, saying that decisions by the European Court of Justice would be taken into account by British courts.

On the financial settlement, she also said Britain would “honour commitments we have made during the period of our membership”.

“I do not want our partners to fear that they will need to pay more or receive less over the remainder of the current budget plan as a result of our decision to leave,” she said.

May has long said Britain will honour its financial obligations, but she did not mention the 20 billion euro figure reported in local media in the days running up to the speech.

She said little on Ireland, beyond noting that no one wanted a return to a “hard border” with British-ruled Northern Ireland that could reignite tensions on the island.

Barnier said her words showed “a willingness to move forward, as time is of the essence”, but that they needed to be “translated into a precise negotiating position of the UK government”.

But the head of the European Parliament’s biggest group, the centre-right European People’s Party, Manfred Weber, said May’s speech had brought no more clarity. “I am even more concerned now,” he added.

British opposition lawmakers were not impressed, with the Labour Party saying the government was “no clearer about what our long-term relationship with the EU will look like.”

Trade union leader Frances O’Grady said the prime minister was pretending that “we can have our cake and eat it,” while a business lobby, the British Chambers of Commerce, underlined its desire to “get trade talks moving”.

It was never going to be an easy speech, with May struggling to appeal simultaneously to the EU, to business and to the supporters of Brexit in her own party who want to hold her to her pledge of a clean break with the bloc.

“It’s clear that we’re out,” one senior Conservative source said, adding that he was pleased to hear May agree that no deal was better than a bad deal.

Acrimony

The speech comes at the start of a crucial week for Europe.

On Sunday, German voters are expected to return conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel to power but also vault eurosceptic parties into parliament, including the Alternative for Germany (AfD), whose nationalist, anti-immigrant ideas echo those of Britain’s UKIP party, a driving force behind Brexit.

Two days later, French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to flesh out his ideas for a “relaunch” of the EU and euro zone, underscoring the bloc’s determination to press ahead with a closer union that excludes the UK.

Britain and the EU do agree on one thing: The clock is ticking, with Barnier saying there is only a year left to find an agreement to give Britain a controlled exit.

May’s ill-fated decision to have an election in June not only used up time but also sapped her authority and gave a stronger hand to pro-Brexit lawmakers who want a total break with the bloc and to reduce any divorce bill to zero.

May’s top team of ministers put on a show of unity in Florence – with foreign minister Boris Johnson, one of Britain’s most prominent hardline Brexit politicians and a one-time leadership contender, sitting in the front row.

“I think what was so uplifting about this speech was it was positive; it was confident about what Britain can do but also about our relations with the rest of the EU,” Johnson said.

(Reuters)

Theresa May Set to Make High-Stakes Brexit Speech

In a speech in the Italian city of Florence, May will set out on Friday her vision for future ties with the European Union and try to fill an apparent policy vacuum.

Anti-Brexit protesters wave flags in front of the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, September 11, 2017. Credit: Reuters

Anti-Brexit protesters wave flags in front of the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, September 11, 2017. Credit: Reuters

London: After months of Brexit talks that have made little progress and deepened rifts in her party, British Prime Minister Theresa May will try this week to put the negotiations on track and reassert her authority.

In a speech in the Italian city of Florence, May will set out on Friday her vision for future ties with the European Union and try to fill an apparent policy vacuum that has left her Brexit team adopting what Brussels regards as wrecking tactics in the talks on unravelling four decades of union.

The 60-year-old leader has deliberately chosen an EU city to deliver the speech so that she can speak directly to the other 27 nations in the bloc, but has her work cut out in seizing back the initiative.

May has been largely quiet on Brexit since her Conservative Party lost its parliamentary majority in a June election that she need not have called, saying little beyond expressing her support for “a deep and special partnership” with the bloc once Britain leaves in March 2019.

But days before the speech, foreign minister Boris Johnson laid out his own Brexit vision, challenging her more cautious approach and exposing the fault lines in her party and government.

EU negotiators are also frustrated with what they see as Britain’s policy drift. At talks in August, British officials spent almost three hours picking holes in the legal basis for the bill that the EU expects London to pay to leave.

Sources familiar with the presentation — so detailed it stretched for 11 pages and was illustrated with 23 slides — called it a show of legal muscle. But, as Brexit minister David Davis said, the meeting was even “tetchier than the one before”.

“The reason lawyers gave a two-and-a-half hour presentation is because no government minister had made a decision on policy,” said Andrew Hood, who was a legal adviser to former prime minister David Cameron and still has contact with lawyers in several government departments.

The August talks were almost cancelled by the EU side because of Britain’s lack of position, Hood told Reuters. “I always thought when I was in the foreign office that if you ever need to revert to lawyers you’ve probably lost,” he said.

Hood now advises companies on their Brexit strategy for law firm Dechert but took part in meetings with the EU under Cameron, who resigned last year after Britons voted for Brexit.

The financial settlement with Brussels is one of the most difficult parts of the Brexit negotiations, but the lack of movement so far on even the mechanics of how to calculate the sum shows the difficulties facing Britain.

Rifts, splits and frustration

May is walking a tightrope between hardline Conservative Brexit supporters who want to make sure any payment is as small as possible, and some top ministers who believe Britain must pay to keep ties as close as possible.

Until now, she has largely let her government do the talking by setting out a wishlist for future relations with the bloc that aims for the closest of ties without the costs. May has also stuck to a belief that by playing her cards close to her chest, Britain will force EU negotiators into concessions.

But her silence has allowed other voices to emerge. The main opposition Labour Party says it would keep Britain in the single European market and customs union during a transitional period, the Liberal Democrats are demanding a second referendum and the Scottish National Party wants Scotland to remain part of the EU.

Their opposition is to be expected, but criticism from May’s own team is not, and has raised eyebrows.

In a weekend newspaper article, Johnson wrote that he did not expect Britain to pay for access to the EU’s market, putting him at odds with finance minister Philip Hammond and May, who has spoken of paying in.

At the August talks, left without clear policy direction, Davis and his team’s detailed dissection of the EU’s arguments on the Brexit bill left the bloc’s main negotiator Michel Barnier wondering whether “we can build trust and start discussing a future relationship”.

Weeks earlier, a former aide to May had praised the emerging agreement in her cabinet over the need for a transition deal and a divorce settlement — something that seemed remote after last year’s Brexit referendum.

But though there may be agreement on this in principle, the difference lies in the detail and has opened a deep rift. Hammond wants a transition as close as possible to the status quo while others, such as trade minister Liam Fox, do not want to stay in the single market or pay for access.

Pro-Brexit lawmakers have also balked at suggestions Britain should pay 60 billion euros ($72 billion) for the divorce, and May’s aides have poured cold water on reports that there could be a compromise to reduce the headline figure by paying 10 billion pounds a year to the EU during a transition.

In a move that appeared intended to tighten her control over the Brexit talks, May appointed the top official at the Brexit ministry as her EU adviser on Monday.

But resetting the talks is a tough order, and aides are silent on whether May will use the Florence speech to try to break the deadlock on the financial settlement.

Officials in Brussels are not holding their breath.

“The EU has taken the black veil off and is getting on with its life,” one EU official said after the August talks. “The Brits are either completely overconfident or completely overwhelmed.”

(Reuters)

Brexit Law Passes Parliamentary Hurdle in Reprieve for PM May

The government now faces the uphill task of conceding to demands for concessions by various parties, in passing the Bill that seeks to copy-paste EU law into British legislation.

Union Flags and European Union flags fly near the Elizabeth Tower, housing the Big Ben bell, during the anti-Brexit 'People's March for Europe', in Parliament Square in central London, Britain September 9, 2017. Credit: Reuters/Tolga Akmen

Union Flags and European Union flags fly near the Elizabeth Tower, housing the Big Ben bell, during the anti-Brexit ‘People’s March for Europe’, in Parliament Square in central London, Britain, September 9, 2017. Credit: Reuters/Tolga Akmen

London: Britain’s parliament backed a second reading of legislation to sever ties with the European Union early on Tuesday, a reprieve for Prime Minister Theresa May who now faces demands by lawmakers for concessions before it becomes law.

After more than 13 hours of speeches for and against the legislation, which May says is essential for Brexit but critics describe as a Conservative government power grab, lawmakers voted 326 to 290 in favour of moving the EU withdrawal bill, or repeal bill, to the next stage of a lengthy lawmaking process.

Many fell in step with the government which said a vote against the legislation would force Britain into a chaotic exit from the EU, rather than a smooth departure, as the country would lack laws and a regulatory framework to steer the process.

May, weakened by the loss of her majority in a June election, now faces a battle against politicians who want to force amendments to the bill, first in the lower house of parliament and then in Britain’s unelected upper chamber.

“Earlier this morning parliament took a historic decision to back the will of the British people and vote for a bill which gives certainty and clarity ahead of our withdrawal from the European Union,” May said in a statement.

“Although there is more to do, this decision means we can move on with negotiations with solid foundations and we continue to encourage MPs (lawmakers) from all parts of the UK to work together in support of this vital piece of legislation.”

Her justice minister urged lawmakers to back the bill and signalled that the government would listen to the concerns of lawmakers despite describing some of their criticism as being “exaggerated up to and beyond the point of hyperbole”.

The bill seeks largely to ‘copy and paste’ EU law into British legislation to ensure Britain has functioning laws and the same regulatory framework as the bloc at the moment of Brexit, to offer some reassurance for companies.

Referendum Rift

But the often impassioned debate in the 650-seat parliament underlined the rifts exposed by last year’s EU referendum, not only in Britain’s main parties, but also in the country.

The opposition Labour Party had called on its lawmakers to vote against the bill if the government failed to make concessions. But seven rebelled, with some saying they had to respect the demands of their pro-Brexit voters.

“This is a deeply disappointing result,” said Labour’s Brexit spokesman, Keir Starmer. “This bill is an affront to parliamentary democracy and a naked power grab by government ministers … It will make the Brexit process more uncertain, and lead to division and chaos when we need unity and clarity.”

The government has defended the bill by saying it will allow Britain to become “masters of our own laws”, but it also gives ministers wide-ranging powers to amend laws to make them work domestically, often by interchanging the word ‘EU’ for Britain.

But lawmakers, both in Labour and May’s governing Conservative Party, expressed fears the government would make substantial changes to legislation without consulting parliament – a charge the government has denied.

Despite the victory for a government now dependent on the support of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party to secure a working majority, ministers will face attempts by both Conservative and Labour lawmakers to change the bill.

Some want assurances that the government will not misuse its power, others want to make sure the protections of certain workers rights are also written into the bill before allowing it to move to the unelected upper house of parliament.

The process is expected to take months to complete and both houses should agree the final wording before it can be passed.

“Labour will seek to amend and remove the worst aspects from the bill as it passes through parliament,” Starmer said. “But the flaws are so fundamental it’s hard to see how this bill could ever be made fit for purpose.”

(Reuters)

Britain’s May Calls on Legislators to Back Brexit Bill

Theresa May is rallying for support from fellow law makers on the EU withdrawal Bill.

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street in London, September 6, 2017. Credit: REUTERS/Toby Melville

Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street in London, September 6, 2017. Credit: Reuters/Toby Melville

London: British Prime Minister Theresa May called on parliament to support legislation to sever political, financial and legal ties with the European Union, a step towards Brexit the opposition says it will challenge.

The repeal bill, or EU withdrawal bill, is central to the government’s plan to exit the bloc in 2019, untangling Britain from more than 40 years of EU lawmaking and repealing the treaty that first made Britain a member in 1972.

On Thursday, parliament will start debating the “main principles” of the bill, which seeks largely to copy and paste EU law into British legislation. Lawmakers will vote on Monday on whether the bill can move on to the next part of its long legislative journey, when it could be amended.

Its safe passage through parliament is especially important for a government that has been criticised in Brussels over its Brexit strategy and after a series of leaks, one of a letter to companies asking them to support Britain’s plans.

“The repeal bill helps deliver the outcome the British people voted for by ending the role of the EU in UK law, but it’s also the single most important step we can take to prevent a cliff-edge for people and businesses, because it provides legal certainty,” May said in a statement.

“We’ve made time for proper parliamentary scrutiny of Brexit legislation, and I look forward to the contributions of MPs (lawmakers) from across the House (of Commons). But that contribution should fit with our shared aim: to help get the best Brexit for Britain.”

Her Brexit minister, David Davis, also urged lawmakers to speak out if they felt that any rights were not carried forward into British law by the bill, a challenge to the main opposition Labour Party which has said it cannot support the legislation without it being amended to better protect workers’ rights.

Monday’s vote will be a test of May’s deal with a small Northern Irish Party to shore up the majority she lost in an election she did not have to call in June. Labour would need to convince EU supporters in May’s Conservatives to side with them to vote down the bill.

Some more vocal pro-EU lawmakers in the Conservative Party have now said they will vote with the government after asking for reassurance that parliament will be able to scrutinise any changes to the law.

“We are not rejecting EU law, but embracing the work done between member states in over forty years of membership and using that solid foundation to build on in the future, once we return to being masters of our own laws,” Davis said.

“I hope everyone in this House recognises this bill’s essential nature – it is the foundation upon which we will legislate for years to come – and I look forward to working with the whole House to deliver the bill,” he said in a statement.

But Chris Leslie, a pro-EU campaigner and Labour lawmaker, questioned whether parliament could trust May and Davis.

“(The bill) will give the executive unparalleled powers to change laws that affect the lives and rights of the British people by the stroke of a ministerial pen,” he said.

“For Theresa May and David Davis to ask us to just trust them isn’t good enough. I urge MPs from all parties to vote down this shambles of a bill.”

(Reuters)