2017 was supposed to be the year of bold and productive Brexit negotiations in which Prime Minister Theresa May and her Conservative government would smoothly secure deals with the European Union. But instead of crafting a dynamic, concrete plan for Brexit Britain’s future, E.U. withdrawal talks have been branded an “embarrassment” after a string of high-profile setbacks late last year.
What went wrong, why did it go wrong so quickly, and will the U.K. be able to recover the process in 2018?
Northern Ireland's DUP Derails Brexit Progress
Quickly stamping out any glimmer of hope held by MPs, who sought a deal to move the UK to the next phase of Brexit talks with the E.U., the Tories’ coalition Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in December refused to back the Irish border plan.
In an awkward and disconcerting backlash, the DUP told Downing Street that any Brexit agreement that gave Northern Ireland a separate trade regime from the rest of Britain would endanger the deal between the DUP and Tory-led government.
The DUP/Conservative alliance is what's keeping Theresa May in power, despite being vastly costly to British taxpayers. The coalition was struck in June 2017 following May’s deeply embarrassing loss of a Tory majority in the snap 2017 general election. In order to stay in power, May, after weeks of painstaking negotiations, finally signed a deal with the DUP that saw Northern Ireland secure £1 billion in extra spending and lucrative new tax powers.
The unpopular deal led to widespread criticism, not only from opposing parties but also the public, with crowds gathering in central London to voice anger at the government’s costly alliance with the DUP – a party renowned for its orthodox Christian views on issues like gay marriage and abortion.
The DUP may have handed May a lifeline to prop up her weakened government. But the Tories’ fervour to form a coalition with the Northern Ireland party came back to bite them last month when the DUP abruptly halted May’s attempts to reach a Brexit deal on the Irish border, forcing her to return to London from Brussels empty-handed.
MPs Back Curbing Government Powers on Brexit Deals with E.U.
May suffered yet more humiliation when Members of Parliament recently backed giving Parliament a legal guarantee of a vote on the final Brexit deal struck with the E.U. MPs amended the E.U. Withdrawal Bill, a key piece of Brexit legislation, against the wishes of the prime minister, meaning May will be forced to give Parliament a greater role in the E.U. withdrawal.
The embarrassing defeat came in the wake of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn ordering Labour MPs to back an amendment to May’s E.U. Withdrawal Bill legislation, which was proposed by former Conservative attorney general Dominic Grieve. The government was defeated 309 to 305 – a margin of just four votes. Eleven Tory MPs voted against the government, including eight former frontbenchers. Ex-minister Stephen Hammond was sacked from his position of Conservative vice-chairman following his rebellion against the Government.
“I made it very clear that for me this was a point of principle and just occasionally in one’s life, one has to put principle before party,” Hammond told reporters.
Brexit Divisions Deepening Within the Tories
The landmark vote and humiliation for May and her government exposes not only the deep divisions within her own party, but also how the Brexit revolt is testing the prime minister's authority, raising questions in Brussels about her ability to negotiate Brexit talks.
One Tory whip described the loss as a “game changer” for the government that acted as a boost in confidence for Tory rebels. "It has broken the dam,” the Tory rebel told reporters. “It will be much, much easier to do it again. Rebelling once gives you a taste for it. The discipline has been broken and it shows actually that if you do risk it and rebel for something you believe in, you can make the difference.”
Speaking of the defeat, Jeremy Corbyn said it was a “humiliating loss of authority for the Government on the eve of the European Council meetings.”
“Theresa May has resisted democratic accountability. Her refusal to listen means she will now have to accept parliament taking back control,” Corbyn added.
The victory in limiting ministers’ powers over Brexit deals has also heartened proponents of a soft Brexit, who hope May’s weakened working majority in the House of Commons can be used to shift government policies toward closer relationships with the E.U.
With Brexit negotiations seemingly spiralling into deeper chaos and confusion after the setbacks late last year, confidence is low that the government will achieve its aim to have an outline Brexit transition deal anytime in early 2018.
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