How my Brexit deal ends free movement, ends ECJ rule over the UK — AND protects millions of British jobs
THIS week, after thousands of hours of negotiations between the UK and the EU, we have reached an important moment for our country.
We have agreed in principle the detailed terms of our exit. And we have also agreed the broad terms of the future relationship we will build for the years ahead.
This is a decisive step towards delivering the Brexit the British people voted for. Next weekend, at a special European Council meeting with the heads of the other 27 EU nations, I will fight to strike the very best deal for the UK.
I am confident that it will be a deal that works for our whole country and delivers on the result of the historic referendum two years ago.
Getting to this point has not been easy and I have had to take some difficult decisions. I did not take them lightly. Some of my government colleagues felt that they could not sign up to them. I respect that, but I passionately believe that the course I have set is the right one for our country.
From the very start, I have known what I wanted to deliver for the British people. Honouring the result of the referendum by taking back full control of our borders.
That means for the first time in a generation or more we will decide who comes to this country and, just as importantly, who does not.
I spent six years as Home Secretary listening to the public, understanding their concerns about the lack of control and about wanting the number of people settling here to be more sustainable.
People want free movement to end — this agreement does that.
It also means we will regain control of our money, with an end to vast annual payments to the EU, so we can decide for ourselves how we spend that money on the things that matter most to us, like our NHS.
And taking full control of our laws, bringing the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in the UK to an end. It also means coming out of the Common Fisheries Policy and making the UK an independent coastal state once again. And leaving the Common Agricultural Policy, which does not work for our farmers.
Make no mistake — the hard-fought deal that is now in sight will do all of those things. It will deliver on the priorities of the British people.
Our agreement on our future relationship must also protect the millions of jobs across our country that rely on the smooth trade of goods across borders. Our great manufacturing firms need to be able to ship parts into and out of Europe easily. Our food exporters need the same. Our deal must give them what they need.
And to make sure businesses have the time they need to prepare for that new relationship, we have agreed that there should be an implementation period lasting until the end of December 2020 — smoothing our exit from the EU, but not letting it drag on forever.
We have also worked hard to guarantee that the deal will ensure the close security and intelligence co-operation that helps keeps everyone safe can carry on. Our European friends are our staunch allies against terrorism and organised crime, and in the future we will work together to combat these threats. And the deal we will strike will also protect the integrity of the United Kingdom as a union of four nations.
We voted to leave as one United Kingdom, and we will remain as one United Kingdom.
We will also ensure that there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, so that the peaceful settlement there is protected and the lives of people in that part of our country can carry on as before.
You will have heard a lot over the last few weeks about the so-called Northern Ireland “backstop”.
Terrorist data 'in jeopardy'
TERRORISTS and gangs could avoid detection unless the PM includes the European arrest warrant and crime database in her deal.
Labour’s Yvette Cooper says the UK risks losing access to the crime-busting initiatives when “security threats are at their highest level”.
Britain checks the database 500million times a year. Ms Cooper, chair of the Home Affairs select committee, said: “The PM knows these measures save lives. How can she, of all people, say that this public safety downgrade is in the national interest?”
The PM admitted the issues were important and would be included in future talks.
This exists so that in the event that the full details of our future partnership with the EU are not all settled in time for the end of the implementation period, there will be no problems on the Irish border.
It is an insurance policy that we do not expect to use.
I can assure you, we will not become stuck with it. Instead, we will agree a new relationship with the EU so we can move forward into a brighter future as a sovereign nation.
A future where we will take back control of our money, our laws and our borders. A future where we will be free to strike new trade deals around the world and build our nation’s prosperity.
After two years of hard work, we are now arriving at what I firmly believe is the right deal for Britain.
If MPs reject the deal, they will simply take us back to square one. It would mean more division, more uncertainty and a failure to deliver on the vote of the British people.
There is no alternative plan on the table. There is no different approach that we could agree with the EU. The course I have set is the right one for our country and the only one that will work.
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The path before us is not easy, but with determination and hard work, I know we can deliver a deal in the national interest.
One that builds a more secure, prosperous Britain, whose best days lie ahead.
That is the brighter future that awaits us. I am determined to get us there. I will not let you down.