After digging into the 585-page Brexit document, Theresa May’s ministers came to the right conclusion: The deal stinks.
The Wall Street Journal reports U.K.’s Brexit Deal in Jeopardy as Senior Ministers Resign.
Six government ministers, including Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, one of the architects of the deal, quit Thursday as the prime minister faced a barrage of criticism over the plan in Parliament, raising the possibility that she could face a challenge to her leadership.
The pact has drawn fierce opposition from both within her Conservative Party and the Labour Party opposition. In addition to Mr. Raab, Esther McVey, the U.K. pensions secretary, also resigned from Mrs. May’s cabinet.
“It is mathematically impossible to get this deal through,” said Mark Francois, a euroskeptic Conservative. Mr. Francois said he estimates that more than 80 Tory lawmakers are prepared to vote against the deal, as are Mrs. May’s allies in the Democratic Unionist Party and opposition parties. “The stark reality, Prime Minister, is that it was dead on arrival.”
A Conservative Party leadership challenge can be triggered if 48 Tory lawmakers submit letters of no confidence to a special committee. Even if such a challenge emerges, it is unlikely that a majority of Tories would then vote in favor of ousting her from office. However, a rebellion of 48 lawmakers would mean Mrs. May wouldn’t have the support within her own ranks to get a Brexit deal voted through Parliament.
Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the main opposition Labour Party, said his party would vote against the proposed agreement. “The government must withdraw this half-baked deal,” he said in the House of Commons.
May Jeered
May was openly, and deservedly laughed at.
There is a slightly different and arguably better video in the WSJ article.
Please play at least one of them.
Pound Sinks
The Financial Times reports Pound Falls Sharply After Ministers Quit Over Brexit Deal.
