Business minister lashes Brexit compromise plan backed by Theresa May
2 min read
The Brexit compromise plan supported by Theresa May and a raft of pro-Leave and pro-Remain Tory voices has been slapped down by business minister Richard Harrington.
The Prime Minister told MPs earlier today that the Government were “engaging positively” with the so-called 'Malthouse compromise', which has also been given support by the DUP.
Tory MPs, including arch-Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg and pro-European former minister Nicky Morgan hope the proposals could allow Mrs May to save her Withdrawal Agreement while removing the contentious backstop.
But in a memo seen by Sky News, Mr Harrington said the plan, created by Tory MPs to solve the Irish border issue via technological means, had already been ruled out by both the UK and the EU.
“This idea was considered and rejected by both the UK and the EU in summer 2018, as both parties concluded that it would not maintain an open border,” he wrote. “That is why we ended up with the current backstop.”
“There is currently no border in the world, outside a customs union, which has eliminated border infrastructure.”
The plan’s fall-back option – which amounts to a managed no-deal – was also blasted by Mr Harrington as a “not a realistic option.”
“Plan B involves ditching the backstop (or alternative arrangements to keep the Irish border open), paying around half of the agreed financial settlement while challenging the remainder, all while hoping that the EU will give us the transitional period anyway.
He added: “It is unrealistic to expect the EU to agree to such a proposition.”
His comments came as EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker warned that yesterday’s Commons vote had increased the risk of no-deal Brexit.
Mrs May has stated her intention to seek legally binding changes to the backstop after MPs voted in favour of scrapping the plans.
But speaking in the European Parliament, Mr Juncker said: “We have tried everything in our power to prepare for all scenarios, including the worst.
“The Withdrawal Agreement remains the best and only deal possible. The debate and votes in the House of Commons yesterday do not change that. The Withdrawal Agreement will not be renegotiated.”
Last week, Mr Harrington challenged Mrs May to sack him after he told a group of German businessmen he was "very happy" to be axed from his post for speaking out over the risks.
He said: "This is a disaster for business and business needs to know where it is, and that doesn't mean, 'Oh great, two weeks before we are leaving, now we can rule out crashing out.'"
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