The International Trade Secretary says “we seem to be losing our focus” on “deliver[ing] on what the British people voted for”.
In the West Midlands, investment decisions have been deferred. We need to be able to push ahead with new trade arrangements around the globe.
The International Trade Secretary expresses his scepticism to Andrew Bridgen.
Other options being floated are designed to hold us in the EU’s orbit in the hope that we may be sucked back in.
The new Shared Prosperity Fund, which will replace EU funding into the regions, is a great opportunity to put areas like mine back in control.
None of us would have started from here. But the Government has got us into this fix – and May’s deal is the best of the three possible ways forward.
Selmayr and Weyand have got much of their way so far. And there’s every chance they will continue to dominate the process.
It’s time for the Government to dust down Plan A Plus and A Better Deal – rather than its own scheme, which is going nowhere.
This morning, despite claims it would never happen, we seem to have a unicorn made flesh – just in time for Christmas.
“They’re not going to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement…but how do you operate it in a way that’s acceptable to both sides?”
When I tried to focus these concerns by calling for a vote to see if this deal did indeed have the agreement of Cabinet, opposition crumbled – and my colleagues fell silent.
Were it not for the backstop, May’s deal would get over the line – with support from an overwhelming majority of Conservatives, including us.
Our plan is supported by remainers like me, by leavers such as David Davis and Dominic Raab and, crucially, by the DUP.
Meanwhile, there is little common ground in which to find a solution which would satisfy many Remainers and Leavers simultaneously.
We also need to examine a ‘no deal transition period’ – i.e: a payment for a period of time to enable both the UK and the EU to adjust to the changes ahead of us.