MP pushes for his amendment
This afternoon in the House of Commons, John Baron MP asked the Prime Minister,
“The Prime Minister knows many of us have wished her well in the negotiations. But, in the absence of any legal certainty that we could unilaterally leave the backstop, something my amendment (f) seeks to address, what certainty is there that the EU would not drag the trade negotiations out so that we could still be in discussions in, say, five years’ time?”
The Prime Minister responded by saying that this would be uncomfortable for the EU, but could give no certainty, legal or otherwise, that this would not transpire.
John said afterwards.
“Whilst the transition period is uncomfortable, it has a defined end. The backstop is the real problem. My amendment (f) seeks to give the UK the unilateral right to exit the backstop, otherwise the EU could tie us in for years. In its present form, I will be voting against the Withdrawal Agreement if my amendment is not passed.”
Notes to Editors:
• John’s amendment (f) can be found online at: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmagenda/OP190114.pdf (p. 9).
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