We might finally have a Brexit deal on the table, after months of stalled talks and doomsday predictions.
Theresa May has been calling in ministers one by one tonight to brief them on the draft agreement, with a big cabinet meeting planned to discuss it tomorrow.
So, youd think everyone would be excited to deliver that bright future that 51.9% of the electorate voted for?
Not quite.
Tory MP outside the Commons chamber: "We're going to hell."
— Robert Hutton (@RobDotHutton) November 13, 2018
Politicians have been lining up to call it a mess, making Britain a slave state, saying it could break up the UK and is a worst of all worlds resolution.
Rule, Britannia!
The deal is rumoured to involve staying in the customs union (so subject to laws from Brussels) but with different rules in Northern Ireland to avoid a border with the Republic.
Its known as the swimming pool model with Northern Ireland in deeper, as it were, than the rest of the country.
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Heres what people had to say about it.
Former Brexit Secretary David Davis
He quit the cabinet in protest at the direction Brexit was taking, and you can bet hes annoyed with things now.
This is the moment of truth. This is the fork in the road. Do we pursue a future as an independent nation or accept EU domination, imprisonment in the customs union and 2nd class status. Cabinet and all Conservative MPs should stand up, be counted and say no to this capitulation.
— David Davis (@DavidDavisMP) November 13, 2018
This is the moment of truth. This is the fork in the road, he said (actually, we imagine him singing this, power ballad style – these lines definitely need to be in Brexit the Musical).
He urged all Tory MPs to stand up, be counted and say no to this capitulation.
Fellow cabinet quitter Boris Johnson
He doesnt like it either, and has called on ministers to resign rather than support Theresa May in pushing it through.
This is just about as bad as it could possibly be, he said. We will accept EU laws but be unable to shape them.
The cabinet should man up and woman up and chuck it out – theres no question. Its a catastrophe.
Brexit Deal: first reviews in:
Rees-Mogg: “were a slave state” ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Boris Johnson: “As bad as it could possibly get”★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Keir Starmer: “Shambolic, well vote against it” ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
DUP bloke: “This will lead to break up of the UK” ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
— Matt PEOPLES VOTE Kelly (@mk1969) November 13, 2018
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable
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He reckons the deal will never get through Parliament, and called for a second referendum as the only way to escape from this mess.
The problem is it has to come to parliament, and all we know about the views of different people across the political spectrum is a deal of this kind is not going to get through, he said.
Brexit fanboy Jacob Rees-Mogg
Unsurprisingly, the Tory backbencher and head of the European Research Group of right wing Tory MP is not happy with any deal that keeps us subject to EU laws.
According to him, Theresa May has surrendered to the European Union and the UK will turn into a slave state.
DUP leader Arlene Foster
Shes angry about the deal, saying it will weaken the union between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
An agreement which places new trade barriers between Northern Ireland and Great Britain will fundamentally undermine the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom, she said. That is not acceptable.
Northern Ireland would have no representation in Brussels and would be dependent on a Dublin government speaking up for our core industries.
These are momentous days and the decisions being taken will have long-lasting ramifications.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn
He was a bit cagey, saying he would wait and see what the full deal is. But both he and Keir Starmer stressed that Labour would vote against the deal if it failed to meet its tests.
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We will look at the details of what has been agreed when they are available, Mr Corbyn said.
But from what we know of the shambolic handling of these negotiations, this is unlikely to be a good deal for the country.
Given the shambolic handling of these negotiations, this is unlikely to be a good deal for the country.
Labour has been clear from the beginning that we need a deal to protect jobs and the economy. Its not in the national interest to vote for a bad deal.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) November 13, 2018
Not everyone hated it though.
Chief Whip Julian Smith told reporters: I am confident that we will get this through Parliament and that we can deliver on what the Prime Minister committed to on delivering Brexit.
The cabinet meets tomorrow at 2pm to discuss the draft.
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