MPs grill Prime Minister Theresa May over risk of no-deal Brexit
Prime Minister Theresa May asked MPs to “focus on the choice that lies in front of them” this morning, declining to speculate on what would happen if her Brexit deal is voted down by parliament next month.
May’s draft withdrawal agreement will be put to a parliamentary vote on 11 December, with the UK facing the risk of falling out of the EU with no deal if MPs vote it down.
If MPs do vote against May’s deal, “then obviously decisions would have to be taken" and planning for a no-deal Brexit would be progressed, the Prime Minister told the Liaison Committee.
Labour MP Rachel Reeves asked whether May would press ahead with the UK's departure from the EU if parliament votes against her deal, with May responding that the "timetable is such that some people would need to take practical steps".
When pressed by Yvette Cooper, May said: "The decision for parliament is to whether they accept the deal I have negotiated."
"I don't think you'll do it, I think you'll take action to avert it. Am I wrong?" Cooper added.
"My focus is on the vote that takes place on 11 December," May responded. "I've negotiated what I believe is a good deal for the UK."
Instead, May sought to defend her Brexit deal – signed off by the EU last weekend – after MPs expressed concern that it would tie the UK into a prolonged customs union with the EU.
The deal commits the UK to this so-called backstop in order to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, but the UK cannot end the arrangement of its own accord.
May told the committee: “There are many references that indicate this is only temporary. One of those of course is the issue about Article 50, which cannot of itself as a legal base lead to a permanent relationship.
“You look at the backstop, neither side thinks that the backstop is a good place to be in. The European Union is worried about the implications of the backstop as well.”
She also affirmed that the DUP's support for her minority government remains in place, despite the DUP refusing to support the government in a recent vote.
Her comments come after the Bank of England painted a nightmare worst-case scenario yesterday in which a no-deal Brexit would see house prices crash by 30 per cent and the pound fall to parity with the dollar.
Bank of England governor Mark Carney today sought to defend the Bank’s warning over a no-deal Brexit yesterday, telling the BBC: “It's not what's most likely to happen but what could happen if everything goes wrong.”