Theresa May accused of delivering 'blindfold Brexit' after admitting her deal leaves key questions unansweredMPs of all parties accused Theresa May of delivering a “blindfold Brexit” after she admitted her deal left the public in the dark on a range of vital questions about Britain’s future.
Decisions about future trade, the Irish border backstop, fisheries and whether the UK will remain tied to EU rules until after the next general election have all been shelved, a 26-page “political declaration” struck with the EU revealed.
The admission came as the deal still looked doomed to defeat in a landmark vote next month – as both pro- and anti-EU Tories attacked it during feisty Commons exchanges in which few supporters spoke up.
Significantly, two leading Brexiteers praised by Ms May for working with her on the document – Iain Duncan Smith and Owen Paterson – said they could not back it unless the backstop was stripped out.
MPs protested that key decisions had been kicked down the road in crucial areas, including:
* Future trade – where Ms May admitted the UK would “choose” later from “a spectrum”, balancing access to the EU against imposing greater controls.
The document made no reference to “frictionless trade”, which the prime minister had promised. She said it was her “intention to work towards frictionless trade”.
* The backstop – MPs will vote, in June 2020, whether to trigger the safeguard to prevent the return of checks at the Irish border, by the UK staying in the EU’s customs territory.
* Ending the transition – which is due to run until December 2020, but could be extended until the end of 2022, past the June 2022 election, if MPs choose that option over triggering the backstop.
Downing Street insisted it had “won” the right to end the transition at any point over the two-year period, but admitted the UK could yet be locked in until the end of it.
* Fisheries – future talks will decide whether EU boats still have access to UK waters in return for the UK enjoying tariff-free access to EU markets.
Ross Thomson, a Scottish Tory MP, protested the deal meant “sovereignty over our waters sacrificed for a trade deal” – a fear heightened by Sabine Weyand, EU negotiator Michel Barnier’s deputy, saying it “covers both access to waters and market access”.
The flimsy document fell far short of the extensive draft trade deal originally promised by the government before exit day next March – and has no legal force.