Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

Personal tools
Sections
You are here: Home Brexit May has finally managed to unite Parliament

May has finally managed to unite Parliament

15 November 2018
by eub2 -- last modified 15 November 2018

With the latest instalments in the Brexit cliff-hanger being watched avidly worldwide, Sue Wilson, chair of Bremain in Spain, comments on Theresa May's tough week and the state of play so far.


Advertisement

Says Wilson: "If Theresa May thought her week couldn't get any tougher following last night's five-hour Cabinet meeting, she was sadly mistaken. As well as losing Cabinet ministers and the second head of the Brexit department in a matter of months, May endured hours of tough questions from all sides of the house."

"May told Parliament that her deal would honour the referendum result by 'taking back control of our money, laws and borders' and protecting business and jobs. Very few ministers agreed with that assessment, and only a handful expressed any support. They were right not to - it's just not true."

"No matter how frequently May repeats the mantra that her deal is in 'the best interests of the country', the majority in the House disagrees. It's the only issue on which May has united all sides - whether Tory or opposition, Remainer or Leaver. Her deal may have scraped through Cabinet but it will not get through the House of Commons."

She concludes: "Long ago, we ruled out any chance that our rights as EU citizens would remain intact in the event of Brexit. With May focused on restricting the freedom of movement of EU citizens in the UK, our freedom of movement was always going to be at risk. Clearly, the only way to protect ourselves and the country is to stay in the EU. Judging by the questions raised by politicians of all persuasions in the House this afternoon, our chances of another referendum just increased. Parliament recognised today that any deal outside the EU can only be a shadow of what we have as a member state. Give the public the chance, and it will come to the same conclusion."

Bremain in Spain is a group campaigning for the UK to remain in the European Union and to protect the rights of British migrants living and working in Spain. Run by a team of volunteers and chaired by Sue Wilson - a resident of the Valencian Community - the group advocates a tolerant and outward-looking society. It believes this is best achieved by the UK remaining a member of the EU. Bremain in Spain is part of the British in Europe coalition of 10 UK citizens' groups across the EU. It is also affiliated to Britain for Europe and European Movement.

Bremain in Spain
Weekly Diary

The Week Ahead no. 623
Waste framework directive - microplastic pollution - agriculture situation and Ukraine - Multilateral Investment Court

→ EUbusiness Week archive

Subscription options