0.1622
900 319 0030
x

New Brexit Challenge - May's Brexit Plan Defeat

iasparliament Logo
January 17, 2019

Why in news?

British Parliament voted against Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal (plan for Britain’s exit from the European Union).

What is the present scenario?

  • Ms. May is expected to face the motion of no-confidence against her government.
  • But it is unlikely the motion, tabled by Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn of the Labour Party, would be passed.
  • Consequently, the onus of taking the country out of the EU will remain with Ms. May.
  • Ms. May argues that there is no better deal than the one she has negotiated with the other 27 members of the EU.
  • Yet, the difficult task of persuading MPs on the merits of the agreement exists.
  • Ms. May will hope to win the Commons’ approval for a Plan B for Brexit.
  • At the minimum, it must do better on the contentious Irish backstop.

What is the Irish backstop issue?

  • “Republic of Ireland” is an independent country that is an EU member, while “Northern Ireland” is an autonomous territory within the UK.
  • The UK and Ireland are currently part of the EU single market and customs union.
  • So products do not need to be inspected for customs and standards.
  • But after Brexit, the two parts of Ireland could be in different customs and regulatory regimes, which could mean products being checked at the border.
  • The UK government does not want this to happen and the EU also does not want any hardening of the border.
  • However, the current Brexit provisions, which include leaving the customs union and the single market, make this very difficult.
  • In this backdrop, the backstop is an arrangement to maintain an open border on the island of Ireland.
  • The arrangement allows the flow of goods between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
  • This is only in the event that the UK leaves the EU without securing an all-encompassing deal.

                          

What are the challenges ahead?

  • The EU is less likely to ensure that the backstop will not indefinitely lock Britain into a customs union with the EU.
  • But that would necessarily limit London’s freedom to make trade deals with third states.
  • Logically, Brexit supporters oppose this, whose prime motive is to regain sovereignty.
  • Besides, deep differences persist within the Conservative and Labour parties on the terms of exit they must obtain from Brussels.
  • There is also increasing clamour for a second referendum from remainers in the two parties.
  • These groups view the uncertainty as symptomatic of a flawed Brexit project.
  • They say the citizens should be enabled to make a more informed decision, given the mounting evidence on the economic impact of Brexit.
  • But this view had, nevertheless, to be balanced with the consideration that the majority of MPs have resolved to respect the June 2016 referendum.
  • In any case, a reversal of the 2016 Brexit result is not a guaranteed outcome.
  • Given all these, an extension of the exit date seems the least controversial among many other alternatives for Ms. May for now.

 

Source: The Hindu, BBC

Login or Register to Post Comments
There are no reviews yet. Be the first one to review.