Less than a week after the comprehensive defeat of the proposed Withdrawal Agreement by MPs on 15 January, Theresa May returned to the House of Commons to deliver a statement on the government’s plans to drive Brexit forward.
The Prime Minister recognised that there is widespread concern among MPs about the potential for a no deal outcome and insisted that the only way to avoid this is to agree to a deal, since to revoke Article 50 thereby cancelling Brexit would not honour the referendum result.
Mrs May argued that extending Article 50 will only delay a decision and not rule out the possibility of a no deal. This option is only likely to be allowed by the EU to hold a second referendum or general election. The Prime Minister stated her belief that a second referendum would undermine trust in politics and she remains unconvinced that the majority of MPs would support this course of action.
As regards the Irish border backstop, which has caused much of the opposition to the Withdrawal Agreement, Mrs May said that further discussions will be held with MPs to determine their demands for change and she will return to the EU with these proposals. The reaction of the EU will be crucial, as it has previously refused to re-open negotiations on the Withdrawal Agreement which contains the backstop, offering instead non-binding assurances that the backstop is intended to only be a temporary measure.
The Prime Minister also promised to give greater involvement to MPs in the negotiation of the future relationship with the EU through a series of ‘confidential committee sessions’. This would also be extended to the devolved administrations and business leaders. She also announced that the £65 fee that EU nationals are required to pay when applying for settled status in the UK will be waived and that the government will consider legislating to guarantee workers’ rights after Brexit.
Mrs May remains opposed to any kind of customs union on the basis that it would hinder the UK’s ability to make trade deals with other countries outside the EU. Labour, advocating a deal which maintains a customs union and single market relationship with the EU, has promised to consider the case for a second referendum.
Initial reaction from pro-Remain MPs is that Plan B looks very much like Plan A and contains little that would persuade them to vote for it.
MPs now have the option to table amendments to the Prime Minister’s new proposals on 29 January. Among these are proposals to extend the deadline for leaving the EU or to prevent a no deal outcome. The number of amendments being submitted is perhaps an indication of how divided parliament is on Brexit.
Meanwhile, Poland has suggested that a time limit of five years could be imposed on the backstop in order to help break the impasse. However, Ireland and other EU member states have quickly rejected the feasibility of a time limit as it would be necessary for as long as it takes to secure a comprehensive trade deal.
