The Withdrawal Agreement is tantamount to a Remain Agreement.
The Backstop is a distraction which masks its many other failings. Even eliminating the Backstop does not make the Withdrawal Agreement in any way acceptable.
The existing EU Withdrawal Act 2018 is the Law, and that Act of Parliament takes us out of the European Union, in accordance with the result of the democratic Referendum, either with a negotiated Agreement which ties us to the EU in perpetuity, or on “no deal/Free Trade” terms on 29th March 2019.
So, let’s summarise the main concerns of this Remain Agreement:
1. KEEPS THE UK IN A CUSTOMS UNION. That means it can keep exporting goods to the UK tariff free, but it also means the UK cannot do its own Trade Deals. While we do not need Trade Deals to trade, and currently trade with both the USA and China under WTO terms, Trade Deals are a great way of improving the terms of trade, and expanding our export potential, particularly as regards our main industry, digital and services products, which are rarely covered in under the EU’s outdated approach to Trade Deals. This goes directly against a manifesto commitment to leave the CU within this Parliament.
The EU’s own “Trade Deals” would be seriously harmed if it can no longer offer access to the lucrative UK market; Brussels needs to keep the UK wedded to the EU.
2. REQUIRES UK HOUSEHOLDS TO CONTINUE TO SUFFER THE COMMON EXTERNAL TARIFF, meaning British households and British businesses will continue to pay billions to Brussels in tariffs from goods imported from outside the EU, against the clearly stated objectives of the “negotiations”.
3. WEAKENS OUR NEGOTIATING POSITION The EU cannot borrow money and needs our £39bn; this gives us leverage in future “negotiations” on our longer term trading arrangements.
The £39bn is not an upper limit, it is likely we will keep paying out until 2064, and the EU controls both the method under which this sum is calculated as well as the courts under which it is enforced.
4. PERPETUATES UNCERTAINTY The Remain Agreement only delivers a Hokey Cokey Brexit; half in, half out, with no certainty for business or individuals until well past the next General Election; effectively we are signing up to a cliff edge of uncertainty which could last two, three, four even ten years. THAT business uncertainty, coupled with the continued distraction in our public life while other important matters take second fiddle, is enormously damaging to U.K. plc.
5. CREATES A BINDING TREATY IN PERPETUITY This Remain Agreement will become an International Treaty; it will take our economy back under much of the control and oversight of European Union.We did not vote for a new Treaty Agreement with the EU.
A Treaty is being used because it is much harder for Parliament to change; if any aspect of it becomes unacceptable in the future, it requires the whole of the Treaty to be renegotiated, with the revived threat of the so called “cliff edge” ever present to dissuade elected politicians from taking bold decisions. So it’s bad news as it constrains our ability to innovate and strike out on our own in future.
There are other aspects of grave concern, such as the governance mechanism which envisages a “joint Committee” staffed by appointed representatives (perhaps Ollie Robbins, Guy Verhofstadt or Martin Selmayr) being able to overrule Parliament, the continued oversight by the European Court of Justice, the requirement to follow EU regulations across ALL of our economy (from farming to banking) and of course the continued uncertainty over the maintenance of the Union, as no solutions are proposed to the Northern Irish Border.
For all these reasons, and others more technical in nature, it is clear the Withdrawal Agreement is designed to weaken our negotiating position, perpetuate uncertainty and keep us tied to the EU for years to come, in direct contravention of the manifesto on which this Government was elected and the goes against the will of the people as expressed two and half years ago.
It cannot be allowed to be voted into law.