NewsBite

UK politicians have utterly failed the British public

After a monumental defeat, British Prime Minister Theresa May now stands to lose more than just her government’s current Brexit deal. And the British public stand to lose even more, writes Ellen Whinnett.

Parliament rejects Theresa May's Brexit deal in a historic vote

Theresa May has told the House of Commons that if she survives tomorrow’s vote of no-confidence, she will hold discussions with her divided Conservatives, and across other political parties, to try for a deal everyone can agree on.

Given she seems likely to still be in Number 10 by day’s end, the question has to be asked — why leave it until 73 days before Brexit kicks in automatically to start the negotiations?

Mrs May delayed her Brexit bill for five weeks in the hopes of winning support for it, but made no changes to her unpopular proposals, and therefore suffered a predictable defeat, 432-202.

The only surprise was the scale of it — a humiliating, record-breaking 230-vote loss which saw 118 of Mrs May’s own Tory MPs vote against her. That’s one in three.

You only had to look at the groups gathered outside Westminster to see how unpopular her proposals were across the board. Both the pro-Brexit supporters brandishing British Union Jack flags and the pro-Remain supporters with their European Union stars celebrated the result.

Two and a half years have passed since the British people voted to leave the European Union.

Now, 10 weeks from Brexit, no-one knows what’s going to happen after 11pm on March 29.

Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit plan was defeated 432 to 202. Picture: HO/PRU/AFP
Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit plan was defeated 432 to 202. Picture: HO/PRU/AFP

It’s not known what customs checks could be placed on goods crossing between the UK and EU. What rights people will have to live, work and travel across the EU and UK. No-one knows if there will be new taxes, or charges, if there will be food shortages, or medicines shortages, if traffic jams will shut down the border crossings, and what access the EU and UK will have to each other’s police and security data bases.

Mrs May denied she was attempting to run down the clock in order to spook either the House of Commons or the EU into cutting a last-minute deal. Despite the denials, she will still be hoping for an 11th-hour agreement.

But this isn’t AFL Trade Week, where all the big deals are done on the final night.

People need certainty about how their lives are going to be affected after March 29. And the politicians have failed to provide it — and failed the British people.

David Cameron called the Brexit referendum as he tried to confront the endless discontent in own party about the UK’s relationship with Brussels.

He campaigned against leaving, and thought his side would win.

Anti-Brexit demonstrators protested outside parliament during the vote. Picture: AP/Frank Augstein
Anti-Brexit demonstrators protested outside parliament during the vote. Picture: AP/Frank Augstein

When they lost, he resigned, and Mrs May stuck her hand up for the job. She’d voted Remain too, but at least understood she had to deliver on the results of the referendum.

But now her political credibility, already battered by her loss of majority government and the 117 votes against her in an ultimately unsuccessful Tory leadership challenge last December, is destroyed.

She held on to the leadership only after promising she’d stand down after delivering Brexit.

She has been unable to find a Brexit deal that the parliament, or even her own party, would accept.

Her only chance now to retain any control is to somehow convince the EU to get rid of the so-called “temporary backstop’’, a legally-binding commitment which ties the UK to the EU for a period of time in order to avoid a hard border in Ireland, and doesn’t allow the UK to leave without the EU’s permission.

Getting rid of the backstop, which the EU has so far refused to do, or giving the UK the power to leave it at any time, might bring back enough centrists for her deal to pass.

Otherwise, it’s the brave new world of an accidental no-deal Brexit — or whatever the parliament comes up with.

And that could be a delayed Brexit, a second referendum, or no Brexit at all.

Ellen Whinnett is News Corp’s European correspondent.

@ellenwhinnett

Originally published as UK politicians have utterly failed the British public

Add your comment to this story

To join the conversation, please Don't have an account? Register

Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout

Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/uk-politicians-have-failed-the-british-public/news-story/060aa6cbef3adf5c06df064b6471e552