Theresa May made a thinly veiled sales pitch to MPs, specifically her brexiteer backbenchers rather than another EU appeal for further concessions as many expected. In another defiant but empty speech in an energy warehouse in Grimsby. Apparently, the staff at the docks were given only 30 minutes notice before she arrived as she addressed a typical Brexit demographic using it as a platform to yet again beg MPs of her crumbling government to back her version of Brexit in Parliament next week.
The speech came at a fairly embarrassing time after Downing Street had to go on a PR campaign after three MPs scored some pretty awful own goals this week. Firstly, Karen Bradley, Northern Ireland secretary had to issue a pathetic apology after saying deaths caused by the soldiers and police during the Irish troubles were “not crimes. Amber Rudd, work and pensions secretary put her foot in it as she described Diane Abbott, shadow home secretary as “coloured” and Andrea Leadsom the leader of the House of Commons demanded the Foreign Office should hold a debate on the Islamophobia allegations in the UK. With all the needless, unforced PR disasters, one MP described it as “the last days of Rome” as May struggles through her seemingly last few weeks of power as backbenchers turn up the heat.
Back in Grimsby, Theresa May when speaking to a room full of journalists, local business leaders, fellow MPs and workers were keen to sell the benefits of the potential of Brexit with a new catchy phrase of “Let’s get it done.”
Mrs May’s speech came ahead of a yet another crucial vote in the House of Commons this coming Tuesday, where MPs will decide whether to back her EU Withdrawal Agreement once again. Previously, the deal was heavily defeated by a margin of more than 200 votes when it last went before Parliament in January.
Her message on Friday for MPs was simple – back her deal next week and Brexit is delivered. Defeat it and there is no knowing what will happen. She said: “The only certainty would be ongoing uncertainty.”
She went back over old ground attempting to confirm why the UK was in this position. Speaking about the EU membership referendum back in 2016, the Prime Minister said:
The vote was close but the result was clear. The decision was to leave and that’s what we must do.
She acknowledged discussions with the EU have at times been “difficult and robust” but said both were working to get a deal over the line. She said: “Everyone now wants to get it done.”
On one of the main reasons for Brexit for many; immigration she said the Government does not have control of how many people come here from EU but said her deal would end free movement. Also, she said UK judges would take control of adjudicating on the UK and the UK would do its own trade deals and there would be an end to unfair practices. She said: “These are the changes people voted for.” The pound reacted in a fairly uneventful way but it did pull back from a 1.17 high to finish the week at 1.16. Theresa May does have a habit of moving the pound during speeches but this wasn’t one of them. A volatile week for the pound is scheduled over the course of next week no doubt.
It was a strange demographic in North East Lincolnshire as many were skilled engineers who regularly deal and travel to Europe especially Demark and Germany so the ramifications of a continuously disorderly Brexit could affect Grimsby more than any other town.
Theresa May used the speech as a subtle chance to make threats that Brexit might never happen if MPs refuse to back her deal “Back it and the U.K. will leave the EU. Reject it and no one knows what will happen.”
One of the most difficult obstacles during negotiations has been the Irish backstop issue. The idea to prevent a hard border between the UK and the Republic of Ireland, which will remain an EU member. Asked about Prime Minister Theresa May’s effort to shift the Brexit blame onto the European Union, the EU executive in Brussels said it “has offered ideas” on how to break the impasse over the Irish-border backstop. Conservative Brexiteer Andrea Jenkyns said “it’s looking highly unlikely” May will get her deal through Parliament next week unless there is movement around the contentious Irish backstop issue.
As the vote and Brexit deadline fast approaches, The EU’s 27 national ambassadors met in an emergency meeting to discuss Brexit in Brussels today, an EU official said. In the behind-closed-doors discussion, the bloc’s Brexit negotiators updated the envoys on the latest situation following May’s Grimsby speech. In a strong show of defiance Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, who’s leading the negotiations for the U.K cancelled his trip to Brussels British officials said. No visit had been formally announced, but it adds to the sense that the two sides don’t have much to say to each other.
This all came after British businessman and The Apprentice star LORD Alan Sugar sparked outrage after arguing the 2016 Brexit referendum should be “cancelled”, adding there is “no such thing as a good deal” as other EU countries are “only interested in what is good for them”. He stated that No deal would never happen. However, this is the same man that said the iPod would never take off.
