Just hours after grappling cabinet support for her Brexit deal, Theresa May is addressing parliament after Dominic Raab and Esther McVey quit, throwing both the plan and her future into turmoil.
The prime minister secured the uneasy support of her cabinet for the draft deal with Brussels, following a stormy five-hour meeting which culminated on Wednesday night. Consensus only lasted a matter of hours before Mr Raab, the Brexit secretary, sensationally quit, shortly followed by Ms McVey.
Earlier this morning Northern Ireland minister Shailesh Vara also resigned in protest, while Brexit minister Suella Braverman followed suit at 10.15am. There are widespread claims angry backbenchers are preparing to launch a bid to topple the prime minister.
Jeremy Corbyn is now responding. He says the withdrawal agreement represents a “huge and damaging failure”. He finally says – what we’ve all expected – Theresa May’s deal does not meet Labour’s six Brexit tests.
The choice is clear: we can leave with no deal, risking no Brexit at all,” she says. “Or we can chose to unite and negotiate the best possible deal”
I chose to deliver for the British people,” she says – concluding her statement. May says the declaration will end free movement “once and for all”, instead a new skills-based immigration will be implemented.
The UK will become an independent costal state once again,” she says, outlining plans to leave the blocs Common Fisheries Policy – at the end of the transition period. When I first became PM in 2016 there was no ready made blueprint for Brexit – I’ve been committed day and night to delivering Brexit.
But I’ve also said withdrawing from the EU after 40 years… would be complex and hardwork… a Brexit that is in the national interest is possible. Once a final deal is agreed I will bring it to Parliament and ask MPs to give it backing.”
The PM says there will be an option for a single, time-limited extension of the transition period – in order to avoid the implementation of the Northern Ireland insurance policy (referred to as the “backstop”).
She says the withdrawal treaty makes clear the “backstop” will be temporary and all endeavours will be made to make sure it is never used. The Brexit talks are about acting in the national interests – and that is about making the right choices, not the easy ones.”
Theresa May is now in the chamber, she says the the declaration puts us close to a Brexit deal. “What we agreed yesterday is not the final deal, it is a draft treaty,” she says, outlining her “smooth and orderly” plan – to laughter from MPs in the Commons.
It takes back control of our border, laws and money – and it delivers in ways many said could not be done.” She says it sets out how the UK will leave the EU in March 2019, the position on the rights of EU nations, and the implementation (transition period).
Dominic Raab’s resignation was the big hit the Brexiteers needed to get the resignations moving this morning, writes political editor Joe Watts. He was in part an architect of the draft withdrawal deal and is the second Brexit secretary for Theresa May to have lost, so his departure really hurt and made people look.
If Esther McVey, known to have been a major critic of the deal, had gone first it would have seemed far less a problem for the PM. But now the dam is cracked we should expect to see a series of more expected and/or smaller resignations. International development secretary Penny Mordaunt and commons leader Andrea Leadsom are most expected from the cabinet.
Shailesh Vara, Suella Braverman and Anne-Marie Trevelyan have kept a steady flow from junior ministerial ranks. There will be advisors in Downing Street who believe the PM can ride this out, but if another big fish goes she will be in real trouble.
Home secretary Sajid Javid, environment secretary Michael Gove and foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt are the ones that will bring the house down if they choose to go. Watch this space.
