Benn warns Prime Minister that no-deal Brexit could still happen
Second reading of Withdrawal Bill passed
A SENIOR Yorkshire MP has warned Boris Johnson that he still faces taking the country over the cliff-edge of a no-deal Brexit in a year’s time, despite MPs backing his deal in the Commons.
The Prime Minister said yesterday that the UK was one step closer to leaving the European Union by the deadline of January 31 after the second reading of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill was passed by 358 votes to 234, majority 124.
Mr Johnson told the Commons that the transition period included in the agreement with Brussels must end on December 31, 2020 with no possibility of an extension, meaning a deal setting out the country’s future relationship with the EU must be complete by then.
In the interim, although the UK will cease to be an EU member, the trading relationship will remain the same and it will continue to follow the EU’s rules, such as accepting rulings from the European Court of Justice.
Hilary Benn, who led efforts in the last Parliament to prevent a no-deal Brexit, warned such a threat still exists even if MPs vote for the Prime Minister’s deal.
The Leeds Central MP added: “The Prime Minister has so much confidence in the Government’s ability to finalise a new relationship with the European Union by this time next year that this Bill... will prevent by law any extension of the transition period beyond December 2020.
“If he succeeds then his gamble will have paid off, although I wonder how detailed an agreement he will manage to achieve in that time, but if he fails then the cliffedge of a no-deal Brexit beckons in just 12 months.”
Mr Johnson was seen signing copies of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill as he awaited the result of the votes.
Addressing MPs earlier, he said: “Now is the moment to come together and write a new and exciting chapter in our national story, to forge a new partnership with our European friends, to stand tall in the world, to begin the healing for which the whole people of this country yearn.”
In response, Labour leader
Jeremy Corbyn labelled the Government’s handling of Brexit as a “national embarrassment” since 2016, as he said his party “recognises the clear message” from voters at the election, but confirmed Labour would not support the Bill.
He said Mr Johnson was offering a “terrible” Brexit deal, adding: “Labour will not support this Bill as we remain certain there is a better and fairer way for this country to leave the European Union.
“One which would not risk ripping our communities apart, selling out our public services or sacrificing hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process.
“This deal is a road map for the reckless direction in which the Government and our Prime Minister
are determined to take our country.”
European Council President Charles Michel tweeted: “The vote in @HouseofCommons is an important step in the #Article50 ratification process @BorisJohnson.
A level playing field remains a must for any future relationship.”
Mr Johnson also claimed his Government is “absolutely committed” to allowing unaccompanied child refugees to be reunited with their families after Brexit. The Prime Minister was accused of using key Brexit legislation to “bring up the drawbridge” and stop the right of unaccompanied minors coming to the United Kingdom.
The revised wording of the Brexit Bill removes a Government commitment to strike a deal with the European Union so child refugees can be reunited with their family in the UK, even after free movement ends. This has led to the Government being accused of reneging on the so-called “Dubs amendment” allowing greater flexibility in such matters.
The previous terms, pushed for by Lord Alf Dubs – who fled the Nazis as a boy, had been accepted by Theresa May when she was in Number 10,