Shailesh Vara quits over Brexit deal

Thursday 15th November 2018 03:46 EST
 
 

Yet another minister in Theresa May's government has called it quits. Minister for Northern Ireland, Shailesh Vara announced his resignation last night, stating the current plan leaves the UK in a half-way house. “We are a proud nation and it is a sad day when we are reduced to obeying rules made by other countries who have shown that they do not have our best interests at heart. We can and must do better than this. The people of the UK deserve better. That is why I cannot support this agreement,” he said.

The 'Remainer' member said, “This Agreement does not provide for the United Kingdom being a sovereign, independent country leaving the shackles of the EU, however, it is worded. Give the past performance of the EU, there is every possibility that the UK-Eu trade deal that we seek will take years to conclude. We will be locked in a Customs Arrangement indefinitely, bound by rules determined by the EU over which we have no say.” Vara further added, “Worse, we will not be free to leave the Customs Arrangement unilaterally if we wish to do so. Northern Ireland in the meantime will be subject to a different relationship with the EU from the rest of the UK and whilst I agree there should be no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, the economic and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom must be respected.”

Tory MP Steve Baker called Vara's resignation “heroic”, saying that he is “not one of the usual subjects by a country mile”. The Parliamentary Under-secretary of State for Exiting the EU, said, “Shailesh Vara is right. Many of us will not accept this dreadful deal.” The resignation comes at a time when European Council president Donald Tusk announced an extraordinary meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on November 25. Withdrawal agreement and a political declaration on future relations will be key topics finalised in the meet.

Vara's resignation triggered a string of withdrawals with May's Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab stepping down, calling the proposed arrangement to avoid a post-Brexit border with Northern Ireland “a very real threat to the integrity of the United Kingdom”. He said, “I cannot support an indefinite backstop arrangement where the EU holds a veto over our ability to exit. No democratic nation has ever signed up to be bound by such an extensive regime regime, imposed externally without any democratic control over the laws to be applied, nor the ability to exit the arrangement.”

Soon after, Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey announced she is resigning from the Cabinet, and junior Brexit minister Suella Braverman quit shortly after her former boss Raab quit. She tweeted, “It is with deep regret and after reflection that I have had to tender my resignation today as a Brexit Minister. Thank you for the opportunity. I look forward to working to support Brexit from Backbenches. This has not been an easy decision.”

The updates came in the morning of Diwali at 10 Downing Street, which is now cancelled and moved to another venue. May will not be attending the celebrations.

PM May has cleared her first hurdle when Cabinet Ministers approved the draft terms of her agreement with Brussels at a stormy five-hour meeting yesterday. She now faces the mammoth-sized task of pushing it through Parliament as pro-Leave Conservative MPs and several Remainers stand accusing her of breaking promises and leaving the UK at the mercy of Brussels.


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