EU leaders today promised the controversial Irish backstop plan will only be temporary - but refused to change the Brexit deal.
Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker have published a formal letter designed to give last-ditch assurances which they hope will persuade Tory rebels to back the PM's Brexit deal in tomorrow's crunch vote.
Number Ten is desperately scrambling to provide Tory backbenchers with assurances to back her plan amid fears she could suffer the biggest Commons defeat ever.
In the letter, published this morning, the Presidents of the EU Council and Commission promised the controversial Irish backstop will only come into force temporarily if it is needed at all.
But they have refused to alter the legally-binding EU Withdrawal Agreement being voted on by MPs tomorrow.
It means that while their reassurance amounts to warm words, it does not change the legal obligations Britain will enter into.
In the letter, Mr Juncker and Mr Tusk state: 'As you know, we are not in a position to agree to anything that changes or is inconsistent with the Withdrawal Agreement, but against this background, and in order to facilitate the next steps of the process, we are happy to confirm, on behalf of the two EU Institutions we represent, our understanding of the following points within our respective fields of responsibility.'
Donald Tusk (pictured left) and Jean-Claude Juncker(pictured right) have published a formal letter designed to give last-ditch assurances which they hope will persuade Tory rebels to back the PM's Brexit deal
They add: 'The European Council also said that, if the backstop were nevertheless to be triggered, it would only apply temporarily, unless and until it is superseded by a subsequent agreement that ensures that a hard border is avoided, and that the European Union, in such a case, would use its best endeavours to negotiate and conclude expeditiously a subsequent agreement that would replace the backstop, and would expect the same of the United Kingdom, so that the backstop would only be in place for as long as strictly necessary.'
The letter comes as the PM will launch a last-ditch bid to win round MPs to her Brexit deal today - warning that voting it down will probably mean staying in the EU.
The Prime Minister is urging Tory Eurosceptics to look at the mounting revolt by Remainers, and realise that Parliament is ready to block the country from crashing out.
In a speech just 36 hours before the titanic Commons showdown, Mrs May will plead with MPs to consider the 'consequences' of their actions for people's faith in democracy.
The desperate entreaty comes as tensions escalate in Westminster ahead of the vote on the Brexit package she has thrashed out with Brussels.
Mrs May looks to be on track for a catastrophic defeat - with frantic manoeuvring under way over what happens next.
Theresa May (pictured at church yesterday) is urging Tory Eurosceptics to look at the mounting revolt by Remainers, and realise that Parliament is ready to block the country from crashing out
A dozen Tory former ministers including Boris Johnson have urged wavering colleagues to stand firm against the deal, saying leaving on World Trade Organisation terms would not be a disaster.
But Remainers from across parties are plotting an extraordinary bid to seize control from the government if it tries to push ahead with a no-deal Brexit. Conservative MP Nick Boles today confirmed plans to tear up Commons rules so MPs could propose legislation - something the government currently has power over.
Ministers fear Speaker John Bercow would help the rebellion. Last week he flouted procedural convention to select an amendment from Tory former minister Dominic Grieve which attempts to speed up the process for the Government to reveal what it will do next if the PM's Brexit deal is rejected.
Speaking in Stoke-on-Trent, Mrs May will say she now believes if her deal is defeated, MPs blocking Brexit is more likely than leaving without a deal.
The premier is expected to tell factory workers in pro-Leave Stoke-on-Trent on Monday: 'I ask MPs to consider the consequences of their actions on the faith of the British people in our democracy.
'Imagine if an anti-devolution House of Commons had said to the people of Scotland or Wales that despite voting in favour of a devolved legislature, Parliament knew better and would overrule them. Or else force them to vote again.
'What if we found ourselves in a situation where Parliament tried to take the UK out of the EU in opposition to a remain vote?
'People's faith in the democratic process and their politicians would suffer catastrophic harm.
'We all have a duty to implement the result of the referendum.'
A dozen Tory former ministers including Boris Johnson (pictured in London today) have urged wavering colleagues to stand firm against the deal
No10 believes Sir Oliver Letwin (pictured left) and Dominic Grieve are the main figures behind the plot to overhaul Commons rules
Asked during an LBC radio interview today what would happen tomorrow, Mr Johnson said: 'I think the deal goes down.
'I think, possibly, some colleagues are being scared by this idea that there might be no Brexit as a result of voting it down.
'I think that's nonsense. 'Britain will leave in March, absolutely, and that's the bottom line.'
A dozen leading Brexiteers – including eight former members of Theresa May's Cabinet – have written to all Conservative MPs urging them to vote against the Prime Minister's deal.
In a joint letter sent to every Tory MP, former ministers including Boris Johnson, David Davis and Dominic Raab call upon Mrs May to stage one final attempt to persuade the EU to drop the Irish backstop which threatens to halt Britain's exit from the custom union indefinitely.
But if the EU fails to comply on agreeing such a deal, the Britain must 'have the confidence' to leave on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms on March 29.
The letter is also signed by other former Cabinet members including Iain Duncan Smith, Esther McVey and Priti Patel.
They write: 'It is right to vote down this bad deal and that in doing so we will unlock a better future for our party, our country and its people.'
They add: 'A managed WTO Brexit may give rise to some short-term inconvenience and disruption, but the much greater risks arise from being locked into a very bad deal.'
Boris Johnson repeats the message in his column in the Daily Telegraph today, where he writes: 'This deal is still the worst of both worlds, by which we somehow leave the EU but end up being run by the EU. It is still a complete stinker.'
Warning his fellow MPs about trying to force a second referendum, he adds: 'If they now engage in ludicrous parliamentary jiggery pokery, endlessly tabling amendments designed to frustrate Brexit, they will risk a very serious backlash indeed.
'The answer is not to leave it to Parliament; the answer is for the executive to do its job, as some of us have been advising for months: to accept that the deal is dead, and to move on.'
On the BBC's Andrew Marr show yesterday, Jeremy Corbyn made clear the party is on high alert to try to force the PM out and a general election
Link hienalouca.com Interesting to note. We are looking for an investor or sponsor for a project to grow dinosaurs and relict plants . The required amount of investment from $ 400,000 to $ 900,000. It will be necessary to build a small laboratory with certain parameters. For all interested parties, email angocman@gmail.com. It will be very interesting.
https://hienalouca.com/2019/01/14/eu-letter-promises-backstop-will-be-temporary-but-refuse-to-change-brexit-deal-ahead-of-crunch-vote/
Main photo article EU leaders today promised the controversial Irish backstop plan will only be temporary – but refused to change the Brexit deal.
Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker have published a formal letter designed to give last-ditch assurances which they hope will persuade Tory rebels to back the P...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/01/14/11/8500692-0-image-a-7_1547464643955.jpg
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий