Theresa May’s landmark speech lays out clear vision for leaving EU – but letting MPs have vote could DELAY Brexit
THERESA May finally spelled out what her plan is for taking Britain out of the EU with a major speech on her pursuit of a “clean Brexit”.
The Prime Minister laid out her 12 point-plan and revealed she aims at taking the UK out of the Single Market and get back control of our borders - but by giving Parliament a vote she could end up delaying our exit.
Here are the key points from her landmark address and what it means for the major areas of our new relationship with Brussels and the wider world:
Parliament
There have been calls from MPs and campaigners to give Parliament its say on the Government’s Brexit deal for several months.
And No10 is awaiting the decision of its appeal to the Supreme Court over the decision that the House of Commons needs to have a vote before Article 50 can be triggered, after a legal case headed by Brexit-wrecker Gina Miller.
Theresa May has always said she has the right to kickstart divorce talks without approval, but she revealed today her plans to allow a vote on the final agreement from Brussels.
In a section on her attempts to provide certainty on getting the right deal Mrs May said: “And when it comes to Parliament, there is one other way in which I would like to provide certainty.
“I can confirm today that the Government will put the final deal that is agreed between the UK and the EU to a vote in both Houses of Parliament, before it comes into force.”
This could potentially water down or delay our exit from the EU, as there are a number of MPs who have said they want to use their position to keep Britain in the single market and keep the free movement of people.
Theresa May has a majority in the Commons so should theoretically be able to win any vote in the lower chamber - but the Tories do not have a majority in the House of Lords.
This means peers could gang up against the Government and alter the deal, however speaking this afternoon David Davis sought to calm fears about any delays arising from the vote.
The Brexit Secretary said: “The referendum last year set in motion a circumstance where the UK is going to leave the European Union, and it won’t change that.”
European Single Market
Mrs May finally confirmed after months of speculation that Britain would in fact leave Europe’s tariff-free customs union, otherwise known as the single market, after Brexit.
She said that being inside it would mean we had to comply with EU rules without having a say on what they were - and Brits wouldn't stand for that.
"It would to all intents and purposes mean not leaving the EU at all," she said.
The single market is a trade agreement between all EU member states which allows the free movement of goods, services, capital and people from one EU member country to another.
This is why there is no limit on the number of EU migrants who can come to the UK or the number of Brits who can live in Spain, for example.
The single market also eliminates tariffs or taxes on trade and has loads of rules and regulations on packaging, safety and standards that apply across the area.
Leaving it means we would be able to place immigration controls on the number of people from the EU who come to the UK.
"So we do not seek membership of the Single Market," Mrs May confirmed. "Instead we seek the greatest possible access to it through a new, comprehensive, bold and ambitious Free Trade Agreement."
This could see Brussels retaliate by placing high tariffs on British goods entering the EU, a key market for UK firms.
But the PM was confident this would not happen, as European countries need to keep trading with us.
She said of the potential for a punitive deal Mrs May added: "That would be an act of calamitous self-harm for the countries of Europe.
The Customs Union
But the PM wasn't so clear on whether the UK would remain a part of the EU's Customs Union – as she is concerned about the impact leaving it would have on us making our own trade deals.
“Now, I want Britain to be able to negotiate its own trade agreements,” she said. “But I also want tariff-free trade with Europe and cross-border trade there to be as frictionless as possible.
“That means I do not want Britain to be part of the Common Commercial Policy and I do not want us to be bound by the Common External Tariff.
“These are the elements of the Customs Union that prevent us from striking our own comprehensive trade agreements with other countries. But I do want us to have a customs agreement with the EU.
Mrs May said she may reach a "completely new customs agreement" or that Britain could become an "associate member of the Customs Union in some way".
She said today: "I have an open mind on how we do it. It is not the means that matter, but the ends.”
Immigration
The PM confirmed that a Brexit deal will give us proper control over our borders.
She said that she will make sure that "our immigration system serves the national interest".
The PM admitted that immigration has put pressure on our services, and pushed down wages for some.
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She said that Britain would always welcome high-skilled immigration, getting the brightest and the best to come here.
But she added: "Brexit must mean control of the number of people who come to Britain from Europe, and that is what we will deliver."
The EU budget
Mrs May confirmed the UK may still be forced to make payments to Brussels in order to maintain access to some programmes.
But the PM was clear that once we leave the Single Market our contributions to the EU budget will drop significantly.
She said: “And because we will no longer be members of the Single Market, we will not be required to contribute huge sums to the EU budget.
“There may be some specific European programmes in which we might want to participate. If so, and this will be for us to decide, it is reasonable that we should make an appropriate contribution.
“But the principle is clear: the days of Britain making vast contributions to the European Union every year will end.”
A transitional deal
She said there may well be a transitional deal between the UK and the EU before a full Brexit agreement comes into force.
The PM said “it is in no one’s interests for there to be a cliff-edge for business or a threat to stability”.
Mrs May said “a phased process of implementation, in which both Britain and the EU institutions and member states prepare for the new arrangements that will exist between us will be in our mutual self-interest”.
The thinking behind this is to “give businesses enough time to plan and prepare for those new arrangements”.
And the 12 points the PM stressed were:
- We will provide certainty wherever we can.
- Leaving the European Union will mean that our laws will be made in Westminster, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.
- A stronger Britain demands that we strengthen the precious union between the four nations of the United Kingdom.
- We will deliver a practical solution that allows the maintenance of the Common Travel Area with the Republic of Ireland.
- Brexit must mean control of the number of people who come to Britain from Europe.
- We want to guarantee rights of EU citizens living in Britain & rights of British nationals in other member states, as early as we can.
- Not only will the government protect the rights of workers set out in European legislation, we will build on them.
- We will pursue a bold and ambitious Free Trade Agreement with the European Union.
- It is time for Britain to get out into the world and rediscover its role as a great, global, trading nation.
- We will welcome agreement to continue to collaborate with our European partners on major science, research and technology initiatives.
- We will continue to work closely with our European allies in foreign and defence policy even as we leave the EU itself.
- We believe a phased process of implementation will be in the interests of Britain, the EU institutions and member states.
