‘THERE is no deal which comes without a backstop and without a backstop there is no deal,’ Tory PM May said yesterday afternoon while addressing Parliament. She claimed: ‘There is no alternative deal that honours our commitments to Northern Ireland which does not involve this insurance policy.’
May said: ‘At yesterday’s special European Council in Brussels I reached a deal with the leaders of the other 27 EU member states, on a withdrawal agreement which will allow a smooth and orderly departure on the 29th March next year and tied this agreement to a political declaration on an ambitious future that is in our national interest.’
‘… I know some members remain concerned that we could find ourselves stuck in this backstop so let me address this directly. ‘First, this is an insurance policy that no one wants to use. Both the UK and the EU are fully committed to having our future relationship in place by the 1st of January 2021.’
On Gibralta she said: ‘Our message to the people of Gibralta is clear, we will always stand by you, we are proud that Gibralta is British and our position on sovereignty has not and will not change.’
She continued: ‘This has been a long and complex negotiation. It has required give and take on both sides and that is the nature of a negotiation’. To jeers she insisted: ‘This honours the results of the referendum, I can say to the house with absolute certainty that there is not a better deal available.’
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn said: ‘The botched deal, is a bad deal for this country and all yesterday did is mark the end of this government’s failed and miserable negotiations. ‘There can be no doubt that this deal would leave us with the worst of all worlds, no say over future rules and no certainty for the future.’
He then asked: ‘Can the Prime Minister confirm that under her deal, if we are to avoid the backstop we will have to accept whatever the European Union demands to extend the transition period. Leaving a choice of paying more money, without a say on the rules, or enter a backstop leading to a regulatory border down the Irish Sea.’
He added: ‘… It is not in the national interest for the Prime Minister to plough on when it is clear that this deal does not have the support of either side of this house or the country as a whole.’
He said: ‘… There is a sensible deal which could win the support of this House, based on a comprehensive Customs Union, a strong Single Market deal that protects rights at work.’ He concluded: ‘This deal is not a plan for Britain’s future, so for the good of the nation the House has very little choice but to reject this deal.’