Theresa May’s Brexit ‘breakthrough’ doesn’t last, as her ministers fight like rats in a sack
Theresa May announced her initial Brexit deal on 8 December with a “new sense of optimism”. Defying reports that her time as PM was all but over, May compromised on the Irish border issue and agreed a payout of around £39bn to Brussels. This enabled Brexit talks to move to ‘Phase 2‘.
May presented this as a triumph of her team’s diplomacy, saying:
I have always been clear that this was never going to be an easy process. It has required give and take for the UK and the EU to move forwards together. And that is what we have done.
Others said May had simply caved in [paywall].
Mixed messages
Unfortunately for May, members of her party and even her cabinet have not reinforced the positive message. On 6 December, Chancellor Philip Hammond rocked the boat. He stated that the cabinet had not been allowed to discuss Brexit outcomes. He also claimed the UK would pay the ‘divorce bill’ even if no deal was reached. May’s spokesperson publicly rebuked Hammond for this.
Environment minister Michael Gove then also broke ranks on 9 December, by suggesting that voters could somehow change the deal. Gove said “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”, and that the British people would be “in control”.
“I don’t have to know that much”
Worst of all for May has been the behaviour of Brexit Secretary David Davis.
Read on...
Support us and go ad-freeDavis stands accused of lying to parliament over details of the Brexit negotiations. He then appeared on the BBC to say that May’s deal was only a “statement of intent” and not “legally enforceable”. This undermined the statements of his own Prime Minister.
In an interview on LBC radio on 11 December, Davis failed to offer much defence for any of this. He said:
What’s the requirement of my job? I don’t have to be very clever. I don’t have to know that much. I do just have to be calm.
Serious questions are now being asked of Davis’s competency.
Fiasco
In the wake of this comedy of errors, public confidence in Brexit has reached an all time low. According to research conducted by The Economist, even committed ‘Leave’ voters believe a bad deal is coming. Only 28% of those surveyed expect May’s team to deliver for Britain.
While the current government remains in place, the future should worry us all.
Get Involved!
– Read other Canary articles about Brexit here.
– Join us so we can continue to bring you the news that matters.
Featured image via screengrab
Support us and go ad-freeWe know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support
The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.
The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.
So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.
