Brexit news: Rees-Mogg and Brexiteer Tories signal they will vote down May's deal again
'It’s back to square one – we can’t leave [the backstop] without the EU agreeing'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Jacob Rees-Mogg and other Brexiteer Tories have signalled they will again vote down Theresa May’s deal, in aggressive questioning of the Brexit secretary.
Stephen Barclay was given a rough ride as he struggled to defend the prime minister’s claim to have secured significant changes to allow the UK to escape the Irish backstop.
John Whittingdale, a former cabinet minister, said the attorney general’s refusal to change his legal advice that the UK could still be trapped was “pretty terminal”, adding: “Nothing has actually changed.”
Peter Bone, another leading Brexiteer, said ministers were asking him to support a deal that was “not the right to pull out of the Irish backstop”.
And, most significantly, Mr Rees-Mogg, told Mr Barclay: “This has been advertised as a unilateral ability [to escape the backstop] – it’s not unilateral.
“It’s back to square one – we can’t leave without the EU agreeing.”
Mr Rees-Mogg, the chairman of the hardline European Research Group of Tory MPs, said the UK – despite Ms May’s claim of “legally-binding changes” – could still only “ask to leave the backstop”.
“That has been blindingly obvious to everyone. The ability ‘to ask’ is not the ability ‘to’ [leave] – is it?” he told Mr Barclay.
In response, the Brexit secretary said: “I don't accept that. This is both a question of legal interpretation and political interpretation.”
But he acknowledged that the UK’s ability to end the backstop would rest on it proving “bad faith” by the EU – and ducked an opportunity to state a precedent for proving that in international law.
Mr Barclay said the agreement “reduces the risk” of being trapped in the backstop but did not eliminate it because “one has to prove bad faith”.
“To say it eliminates it ignores the fact that one has to prove bad faith,” he told the Commons Brexit committee.
Mr Barclay also fell back on arguing that “the starting point for this is that neither side wants to go into the backstop, there are safeguards to prevent it”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments