THE Scottish Government has demanded Theresa May share her proposed Brexit plan with the administrations in Edinburgh and Cardiff.
Speaking ahead of today’s Joint Ministerial Committee meeting, Scottish Brexit Minister Michael Russell said the Tory Government was keeping Scotland “in the dark”.
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Once a deal has been reached with Brussels, the Government will present MPs with three documents: A statement announcing the agreement with the EU, the text of the withdrawal agreement – which is expected to run to between 300 and 500 pages – and the framework for the future relationship.
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Parts of those have been shown to Cabinet ministers, but Russell said it was “imperative devolved administrations are able to scrutinise the UK’s plans".
“People in Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU and we are seeking to protect Scotland’s interests as much as possible. Clearly that is harder to do if we are being kept in the dark.”
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However, Russell’s demands were likely low down on the Prime Minister’s list of priorities as Brexit infighting continued to consume her party.
That was despite reports that there had been some progress in the negotiations between British and European officials in Brussels.
Cabinet ministers are expected in Downing Street this morning, where May will set out what concessions will have to be made to be able to have a deal agreed by Wednesday.
Yesterday at a summit of ministers from the 27 remaining EU countries, Michel Barnier, the chief negotiator for Brussels, said they were close: “On the basis of our common efforts, the parameters of a possible agreement are very largely defined. On the British side, the Cabinet will meet tomorrow to examine these parameters.”
He added: “We are at an extremely sensitive moment. The smallest public comment from my side could be exploited by those who want the negotiation to fail.”
The concessions the Prime Minister will be hoping her cabinet will back include the so-called temporary customs arrangement, the all-UK backstop.
That means if there is no agreement on the future relationship agreed by the end of 2020, then the UK will remain in a EU customs union with Europe for an undefined period up and until the point that it is agreed it is no longer necessary.
May will want her ministers to accept that the decision over when it is no longer needed will be taken by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), if British and EU officials cannot agree among themselves.
As The National detailed over the weekend, the Prime Minister will also ask her ministers, including Scottish Secretary David Mundell, to agree to give up fishing rights.
It’s believed France, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands and Denmark want access to British waters as part of the legal guarantee of a UK-wide customs deal in the withdrawal agreement.
There will almost certainly be resistance to May’s pleas for support, and the Prime Minister could face yet more cabinet resignations.
Penny Mordaunt, the Brexit supporting International Development Secretary told Sky News that ministers would provide a “check” on the deal May came back with.
“The important thing is that there are two checks on this deal – there is Cabinet and there is Parliament.
“Cabinet’s job is to put something to Parliament that is going to deliver on the referendum result.
“We need to work together as a Cabinet to do that. I am going to be supporting the Prime Minister to get a good deal for this country.”
Ministers were warned they faced “judgement day” if they failed to show the “moral courage to defend their country,” one prominent Tory Brexiteer said.
Mark Francois, the vice chair of the European Research Group said: “It is an open secret that there are five or six Cabinet ministers that are very unhappy with Chequers.
“What they will do is up to them, but all Cabinet ministers are going to be judged at the bar of history by what they do over the next few weeks.
“For them, they are at the apogee of the political system, judgement day is coming.
“They will be judged on whether or not they had the moral courage to defend their country, or whether a car and a red box and being called sir by a civil servant was more important than their nation’s destiny.”
Meanwhile Jo Johnson, who quit as transport secretary last week accused May of a “calculated deceit”.
He suggested the Government was set to launch a publicity campaign targeting the public, telling them that there was only a choice between the deal May secures with EU or a chaotic no-deal withdrawal.
“This is a calculated deceit on the British people,” Johnson told the Evening Standard.
“I challenge the Government to come clean on the cost of Brexit. The reason they can’t look us in the eye, it’s because they know this will leave us worse-off and with less control. It’s a gross abuse of civil service impartiality.”
Johnson added: “It’s clear that we are seeing a deepening crisis. The options for a smooth Brexit are non-existent and each day shows this more clearly. We need to consider alternatives, including the public having a final say in a referendum.
“There is a sea-change in mood among my Conservative colleagues who are focused by this crisis. I would not be surprised if more colleagues in senior positions speak out.”
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