Sunday 13 May 2018

The government still can't agree what Brexit means


The Tory government is still entirely split on what type of Brexit Britain should have.

And if the government can’t now agree on what Brexit means, how on earth could the electorate have known what Brexit meant on 23 June 2016?
Over the weekend the Tory-supporting Telegraph reported that:
‘At least a dozen members of Theresa May’s Cabinet are lining up to block her plans for a new “customs partnership” with the European Union.’
The Telegraph added that it had established that:
‘12 out of a total of 28 individuals who sit in Cabinet alongside Mrs May oppose her favoured plans for Britain’s post-Brexit customs relationship with the EU.’
But government sources, reported The Telegraph, believe that as many as 15 cabinet ministers now oppose Mrs May’s Brexit plans.
  • On the one hand, Mrs May supports a “customs partnership” whereby the UK would collect tariffs on behalf of the EU – but without the need for new border checks.
  • But hardline Brexiters prefer a different system called “maximum facilitation” – or ‘max fac’ – based on using technology to minimise the need for customs checks after Brexit.
Sixty Tory MPs from the pro-Leave European Research Group (ERG) have written to Mrs May warning that her proposal for a “customs partnership” is unworkable and could cause the “collapse” of the Government.
However, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has called both options “unworkable”. He said it was “unnecessary to fight” over two options which the EU will reject anyway.
Commented Luke Lythgoe on InFacts:
‘This rather predictable mess wasn’t mentioned, let alone interrogated, during the referendum campaign.
‘If the public don’t like the interminable mess the government has gotten itself into, they should demand a people’s vote on whatever Brexit deal our dithering prime minister eventually manages to produce.’
I agree. Brexit has become a shambles. Who voted for that?

It’s time the government asked 'the people' what is their will today, rather than relying on what they think it was yesterday (i.e. two years ago).


  • Video: Why Brexit doesn't make sense, explained in 15 seconds


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