Mervyn King attacks Theresa May: Brexit plan ‘betrays’ Britain

[Valin]

BizNews

EDINBURGH — Brexit discussions in the House of Commons have been going very badly for Prime Minister Theresa May. Previous supporters have turned against her. Former chief whip Mark Harper told the Tory- and May-supporting The Telegraph that he would break 13 years of loyalty to the Government by voting against Theresa May’s Brexit plan, saying: “Brexit should be an opportunity for our country to spread its wings, not have them clipped.” He claims the proposed withdrawal agreement “not only compromises the integrity of our country” but also breaches the Conservative manifesto, insisting it “leaves the UK in a worse position that we are now” in an article published today. Former Bank of England governor Mervyn King has weighed in, slamming May in a powerful opinion piece run by news agency Bloomberg. He accuses her of betraying Britain (read his full article, below). In the meantime, Scottish remainers have confirmed that the UK can stop Brexit in its tracks without permission from the rest of the European Union. Although still to be ratified by 27 judges, the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) stated yesterday that the UK has the power to unilaterally revive Article 50, reports Scotland’s The National. Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU. – Jackie Cameron

Mervyn King*

(Bloomberg) – When Tony Blair and Boris Johnson unite in their condemnation of the “deal” under which Theresa May proposes that the U.K. should leave the EU, you know something has gone badly wrong. The withdrawal agreement is less a carefully crafted diplomatic compromise and more the result of incompetence of a high order. I have friends who are passionate Remainers and others who are passionate Leavers. None of them believe this deal makes any sense. It is time to think again, and the first step is to reject a deal that is the worst of all worlds.

There have been three episodes in modern history when the British political class let down the rest of the country: in the 1930s, with appeasement; in the 1970s, when the British economy was the “sick man” of Europe and the government saw its role as managing decline; and now, in the turmoil that has followed the Brexit referendum. In all three cases, the conventional wisdom of the day was wrong.

(Snip)

[Valin]

Commons row as Brexit legal advice published

Dec. 5 2018

Theresa May has been accused of "misleading Parliament, inadvertently or otherwise" as the full legal advice on her Brexit deal was published.

The Scottish National Party said the PM had "concealed the facts" after the advice, which warns of an "indefinite" backstop deal with the EU, came out.

Ministers were found in contempt of Parliament on Tuesday for providing only a legal overview of the deal.

But the PM said the two documents were consistent and the position was clear.

While the UK would have no unilateral right to withdraw from the backstop - a measure designed to prevent the return of physical checks on the Irish border - she insisted neither the UK nor the EU wanted the backstop to come into force in the first place.

But the Democratic Unionists said the legal viewpoint was "devastating" for Mrs May's prospects of getting the backing of MPs for her deal in a vote on 11 December.

(Snip)