Pack Eur bags, deal or no Brexit deal we are walking out of the European Union in 25 days
AFTER decades of campaigning, three years of arguments and seemingly endless months of pointless delay, it is now just 25 days until the UK’s membership of the EU ends.
We will be packing our bags and walking out on October 31.
The only question is whether Brussels cheerily waves us off with a mutually agreeable deal, or whether we will be forced to head off on our own.
I’ve been clear from the start that, while it is prudent to prepare for the possibility of a No Deal Brexit, it would be best for everyone if we could reach an agreement that is acceptable to both sides.
This week we put forward our ideas to make that happen. It’s a practical compromise that gives ground where necessary while still protecting the UK’s interests and delivering the Brexit this country voted for.
Our proposals get rid of the anti-democratic “backstop” while avoiding any infrastructure or checks at the Irish border. Our plan respects the Northern Ireland peace process and the Good Friday agreement.
'TAKE BACK CONTROL'
It gives farmers and other businesses on both sides of the Irish border the assurances they need. And it gets the UK out of the EU and its customs union, allowing us to take back control of our trade policy and do free trade deals with friends around the world.
In short, it gets Brexit done on October 31.
Yes, we have made compromises, and I’m sure that not everyone will be happy with that. But this is a negotiation and achieving the deal we all want inevitably requires some give and take on both sides.
The way I see it, the proposals published this week represent we in the UK jumping to the island in the middle of the river. If we’re to leave with a deal, we need the EU to jump over from its side and join us there, showing its own willingness to do a deal that the UK Parliament can support.
The Sun on Sunday Says
IN JUST 74 days Boris Johnson has already achieved what dithering Theresa May failed to do in three years.
He has fashioned a credible Brexit offer that could win a Commons majority, confounding critics who insisted he only wanted No Deal.
His compromise has been carefully crafted so it is palatable to MPs from all sides who genuinely want a deal.
But as he says on these pages, it only works if the EU are willing to show they want one too.
With his customary optimism, the PM says: “The British public wants to move on. Most MPs want to move on. And I honestly believe the EU wants to move on too.”
The trouble is Parliament’s Rem-ainers have already given the EU a get-out with the Benn “Surrender Act”.
And Brussels seems happy to sit back and let the wreckers do their worst to prevent ANY deal.
With time running out, the Eurocrats must abandon their stubborn posturing and meet the PM halfway — or explain to businesses why they are risking their futures.
But don’t hold your breath.
If his deal is rejected at the EU summit in a fortnight Boris is still determined to leave without one on the 31st.
You can’t blame him for keeping his tactics secret, but it will take some very fancy footwork to stay within the law AND avoid an extension.
What the Remainers and Brexit- wreckers on all sides of the Commons need to ask themselves is this:
Would you bet against BoJo?
Regrettably, there are some MPs — led, unsurprisingly, by that serial wannabe Brexit-wrecker Jeremy Corbyn — who have said they will oppose this deal in any circumstances.
It doesn’t matter what the EU say or how negotiations pan out between now and the end of the month – they don’t want to deliver Brexit full stop, so will reject any and every attempt at finding a way forward. They say they’re against No Deal, but actually favour no Brexit.
But speaking to my fellow Parliamentarians, I was really encouraged to discover that not all are so recalcitrant.
MPs from every wing of my own Conservative party, from Northern Ireland’s DUP, even from Jeremy Corbyn’s own ranks have said our proposed deal looks like one they can get behind.
'SPIRIT OF COMPROMISE'
Where the previous Withdrawal Agreement, backstop and all, drove an almighty wedge through the heart of Parliament, I have heard positive noises from across the House.
And I salute the spirit of compromise from MPs on all sides who have looked at what’s on the table, reflected on what’s best for their constituents, and decided they are willing to put aside their personal beliefs and back the deal that they know will get Brexit done.
They know if I go to Brussels armed with a set of proposals MPs support, it is much more likely the EU will accept our outstretched hand and make that leap on to the island.
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The British public wants to move on. Most MPs want to move on. And I honestly believe the EU does, too.
So I say to our European friends: grasp the opportunity our new proposal provides. Join us at the negotiating table in a spirit of compromise and co-operation. And let’s make Brexit work for both sides.
We are leaving in 25 days. We can do it with a deal if the EU is willing. But they should be under no illusions or misapprehensions. There will be no more dither or delay. On October 31 we are going to get Brexit done.
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