Fresh blow for Theresa May as Sam Gyimah becomes latest minister to resign over 'naive' Brexit deal
4 min read
Sam Gyimah has become the latest minister to quit the Government over Theresa May's Brexit deal.
The MP for East Surrey quit as universities and science minister and suggested that another referendum should be held to give the public the final say on the controversial withdrawal agreement.
Mr Gyimah said Mrs May's Brexit plan was "a deal in name only" which would leave the UK at the EU's mercy for years to come.
He said: "There is a mountain to climb, and we are still in the foothills. Under the deal we will have only two, at most four, years to agree at least five times what has been settled to date."
The MP added: "In these protracted negotiations our interests will be repeatedly and permanently hammered by the EU27 for many years to come.
"Britain will end up worse off, transformed from rule makers into rule takers. At the end of these negotiations, Britain will not be standing side-by-side with our European partners as equals.
"Even in programmes where we have agreement, we will be outside the room when key decisions affecting our future and prosperity are made. It is a democratic deficit and a loss of sovereignty the public will rightly never accept."
On a second referendum, Mr Gyimah said: "The decision before us is irreversible, which is why an increasing number of MPs are demanding we explore the options from every angle.
"And we shouldn’t dismiss out of hand the idea of asking the people again what future they want, as we all now have a better understanding of the potential paths before us."
However, Mr Gyimah said he backed the Prime MInister's decision to withdraw UK support for the EU's Galileo satellite navigation system.
"The PM is right to call time on a negotiation that was stacked against us from the very beginning," he said. "But Galileo is only a foretaste of what’s to come under the Government’s Brexit deal.
"Having surrendered our voice, our vote and our veto, we will have to rely on the ‘best endeavours’ of the EU to strike a final agreement that works in our national interest.
"As minister with the responsibility for space technology I have seen first-hand the EU stack the deck against us time and time again, even while the ink was drying on the transition deal. Galileo is a clarion call that it will be ‘EU first’, and to think otherwise – whether you are a Leaver or Remainer - is at best incredibly naïve."
Mr Gyimah is the seventh minister to quit in protest at the Government's proposed deal with the EU.
His resignation is also yet another blow for Mrs May's hopes of getting the Commons to support her deal when they vote on it on 11 December.
Dominic Raab, who recently quit as Brexit Secretary over the Prime Minister's deal, tweeted his suppport for Mr Gyimah: "Decent and dignified, as ever."
ALTERNATIVE
Former Education Secretary Justine Greening, of the People's Vote campaign for a second referendum, said: "Sam Gyimah has been a highly respected and capable minister. This has obviously been a very difficult decision which he has considered carefully.
"Like many MPs he has recognised the huge shortcomings of the Prime Minister’s deal and the need to find an alternative path forward for Britain.
"His comments on the second referendum simply reflect the real choice confronting many MPs. He recognises trusting the people may be, in the end, the only way to break the gridlock in Parliament."
Meanwhile Labour MP Alex Sobel, of the pro-EU Best for Britain campaign, said: "I look forward to Sam Gyimah joining the campaign for a vote on the final Brexit deal. We have the momentum in our campaign.
"If Theresa May cannot persuade her own ministers in her deal she can’t really believe that she has a chance when it comes before Parliament. The Government must now extend the article 50 process and present something to Parliament that we can vote for. If she can’t do that then she must make way for a Government who can or go back to the British people and let them decide."
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