Well, Prime Minister Theresa May, behind her BREXIT department’s back, so with David Davis, her chief negotiator with the EU, kept completely in the bloody dark, as well as misleading all those in Parliament (Leavers & Remainers alike) who had come to ‘accept’ BREXIT because that was the democratic decision of the public, surreptitiously had hidden teams of the Tory apparatchiks Establishment, self-serving civil service (ALL committed Remainers) sweating blood in back rooms and burning the midnight oil, simply to produce a White Paper proposal to scupper BREXIT once and for all, and so run-up the White Flag to Brussels.
This was going on at the same time over the past two months while Davis’ BREXIT department was preparing the White Paper in accordance with May’s stated policy (now in the bin, of course).
This is the so called “Chequers plan”, because it was at that PM’s country house in Buckinghamshire, where May sprung her latest ‘capitulation’ trap on the BREXITEERS in her Remain dominated Cabinet.
May has admitted that she has put forward her crap plans for a shit-Soft BREXIT because the EU wouldn’t negotiate [indeed HER failure and her fault], but nevertheless she naively insists that her plan is the final offer to the EU, so is ‘non-negotiable’ – dream-on Madam, eh?
Even her conditional surrender will not be accepted by the EU hardline negotiators – they will demand an “unconditional surrender”, won’t they? [requiring an unconditional surrender puts further psychological pressure on a weak adversary (the UK under May)]. When the UK’s replacement negotiator Dominic Raab (the new BREXIT secretary was Housing minister) actually gets to the Brussels table later this week, he will be told by Michel Barnier to piss-off in no uncertain terms. That will be because Britain’s plan breaches their red lines of removal of the EU’s holy grail of ‘free movement of people’; outsourcing the EU’s customs responsibilities to a UK not in the customs union; compromising the integrity of the single market; involvement of Britain as a non-member in the EU bloc’s security systems like the Galileo satellite navigation system (also under development for military and emergency services)
While May was able casually to get Cabinet agreement to her secret strategy, while they relaxed and chattered outdoors in the bright sunshine, or indoors in the sumptuous lounge, she will find it a bit more difficult to get it through Parliament itself, because when the chips are down, many Conservative MPs may well rebel (whatever the consequences?), and she can’t expect much help from the Labour ranks, as Jeremy Corbyn sees this as a ‘god-sent’ opportunity to bring this disjointed Government down, and finally purloin the keys to Number 10, eh?
There is increasing evidence that Remainers (never mind BREXITEERS) are unhappy with the plan, demonstrated by the likes of desperate unrepentant Remainer Justine Greening MP who served as a senior Minister for 8 years until last January [progressively in Treasury, Transport, International development, Education (plus Women)]. She says the proposed deal will be unworkable, and is “the worst of both worlds”.
Mind you she is calling for another referendum, despite the fact that 2 years ago the BREXIT decision was put clearly and firmly in the hands of the people, whence ‘One side WON the vote!’, didn’t it? [Note that the EU has indeed in the past employed the tactic of having a second referendum when the first gets a negative result].
However, Tory MPs may well want to save the Government, while forcing May to stand down, so that a true BREXITEER can withdraw the UKs proposed final surrender, redress the balance in Brussels, and make them understand that we will either Leave ‘Without any Deal’ OR Leave with a ‘Good Deal’ for both sides, and certainly Leave with an ‘EU One-sided Deal’ is now OFF the table.
Before the ‘unveiling’ of May’s Chequers plan, it was being widely leaked that Number 10 expected BREXIT Secretary Davis’ resignation that day [and he would have to call a cab home?], and when it didn’t happen, May thought she was ‘off the hook’ – but he had simply waited, bided his time, and then just went, so as to (successfully) achieve greater impact.
That first resignation quickly prompted exits by a further 8 MPs intent on seeing the referendum result respected – Boris Johnson (Foreign Secretary), followed by Steve Baker (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, Chris Green (PPS Department for Transport), Conor Burns (PPS Foreign Secretary), just at the weekend Robert Courts (PPS Foreign and Commonwealth Office), and today even Scott Mann (PPS HM Treasury), plus and significantly (?) MPs who are Conservative Party vice-chairs Maria Caulfield (for women) and Ben Bradley (for young people), joined the resignations group.
Just why previous ‘Leader of Leave’ Michael Gove (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)is still in post, god only knows (ambition?), and more so Andrea Leadsom (Commons Leader) who is staying loyal to May despite the glaring fact that she is NOT rated by the PM, has already been demoted, and is heading back to the back benches as soon as May needs her government slot for someone else, eh?
The word on the wires is that there are that there are a couple of senior ministers at risk of joining the revolt, and as many as a dozen junior ministers across government, who might join the others [covering the Treasury, Home Office, Defence, Education, International Trade, Work & Pensions, Welsh Office, International Development]
In addition, just last month May lost Greg Hands (junior trade minister) over her proposed Heathrow expansion.
It is difficult to see how May can survive in post if she compromises-on or loses the applicable important votes due in the Commons this week, isn’t it? [eg Customs Bill tonight just scraped through by 3 votes on one vote (she had caved-in to accept the 4 (wrecking?) amendments from major BREXIT supporter Jacob Rees-Mogg]
[PM Theresa May has been astonishingly dishonest and has lied through her teeth, as everyone knows, claiming that there is no alternative to her plan, and worse still, that her plan actually is consistent with and meets the BREXIT she promised the Nation]