Analysis

Stop wasting time, do a deal, put it to the people!

by Hugo Dixon | 28.06.2018
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Today’s European Council summit will be a blank on Brexit – because there’s nothing to discuss. Theresa May’s endless dithering means our government doesn’t even know what it wants.

This time wasting is costing us. It is stifling investment. It also means that we’ll get an even worse Brexit deal than we might otherwise have because we’ll soon be so close to the precipice that the government will have to agree to virtually all the EU’s demands.

The summit was supposed to make progress on Brexit. But it is actually likely to take a step backwards. It’s not just that the government can’t agree on what sort of Brexit it wants; it hasn’t yet come up with a viable “backstop” to keep the Irish border open, something we’d supposedly made progress on in December.

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We all know the reason. The Cabinet is split down the middle. David Davis keeps threatening to resign. So does Boris Johnson.

We either agree a deal that damages the economy. Or we agree one that means we have to follow EU rules without a vote on them. Or we agree a compromise that damages both our prosperity and our power.

Of course, we didn’t need to be here. But given that we are, the prime minister just needs to get on with her job – and pick whatever point on the spectrum she thinks is least bad.

Sadly, that’s not her style. Sure, she’s getting the Cabinet together at her country retreat next week with the idea of working out what it wants. But the best she’s likely to come up with is another unrealistic proposal that the EU won’t agree to. And that will mean more time wasting, more alarm among business and more damage to our economy.

So, please prime minister, stop dragging your heels. Do the best deal you can – and then ask the people whether it is good enough.

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Edited by Luke Lythgoe

2 Responses to “Stop wasting time, do a deal, put it to the people!”

  • The real way out is a second Referendum – now. There will be never a decent deal to vote on, and if people vote ‘No’, where is the solution – what is the plan for ‘Yes’- this plan will take time. Doctors’ voice is most powerful as we simply do not any more have healthcare in the UK. An evidence-based story over the last 2 years, I am happy to tell says that and there is no end to it. We need a new set of circumstances if not government for a second EU Referendum.

  • Where is Corbyn and has he come to hi senses about leaving the EU? Has he woken up to the issues relating to Brexit and the harm that will come with a separation.

    Corbyn, please take off your Tory cap and come back to work for the well being of the UK and those who live here. No reason to delay, do it today and make it your first priority. Thank you