MP Sam Gyimah resigns over Theresa May's 'naive' deal

Wednesday 05th December 2018 04:31 EST
 

A minister has resigned saying a row over involvement in the EU's Galileo satellite-navigation system shows the UK will be "hammered" in negotiations over a Brexit deal. 

Science and universities minister Sam Gyimah quit after Mrs May said the UK was pulling out of Galileo. The UK wanted to stay part of it but the EU said it would be banned from extra-secure elements of the project.

Mr Gyimah said it was a foretaste of the "brutal negotiations" to come. He's the 10th member of government to resign over the agreement, which he dismissed as a "deal in name only".

He said he intended to vote against the deal negotiated with Brussels, and called for another referendum.

The UK's interests "will be repeatedly and permanently hammered by the EU27 for many years to come", Mr Gyimah said in a Facebook post setting out his reasons for resigning.

However, prominent Brexiteer and cabinet minister Michael Gove has defended Mrs May's plan, writing in the Daily Mail that leaving the EU is under "great threat" if the deal is rejected by MPs.

Meanwhile, Mrs May is in Argentina, where she met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for talks on the fringes of the G20 summit on Saturday. He asked her to avoid a no-deal Brexit - major Japanese companies such as Nissan and Honda are concerned about the possible impact on their supply chains across Europe.

She told him she was confident Japanese businesses in the UK would continue to trade well with the EU.

Galileo is the EU's upcoming version of the US's GPS, which is used by millions of people around the world, and will be used by EU governments, citizens, military and industry.

Brussels has said that, as a result of Brexit, the UK will not be allowed immediate access to part of the system intended for use by government agencies, the armed forces and emergency responders once it comes online in 2020.

But the UK, which has invested €1.4bn (£1.24bn) in the project, says access is vital to its military and security interests.

Ministers who have previously resigned over Brexit include: Dominic Raab, Brexit Secretary, Esther McVey, Work and Pensions Secretary, Jo Johnson, Transport Minister, Suella Braverman, Junior Brexit Minister and Shailesh Vara, Junior NI Minister.


comments powered by Disqus



to the free, weekly Asian Voice email newsletter