DAVID Davis has told MPs they don’t have the power to stop Brexit.
The Tory minister told the Commons’ European Scrutiny Committee that even if the Government lost a “meaningful” vote in Parliament on any trade agreement secured by Theresa May, that wouldn’t stop the UK crashing out of the EU.
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He told MPs: “I don’t believe in the meaningful vote as overruling the referendum ... We will leave in all circumstances.”
Davis said that the government would always be preparing for a no-deal Brexit.
He said: “It’s always possible, it’s highly improbable but always possible that the deal will come apart at the end for some wholly unpredictable reason.
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“A responsible government has to be ready for that outcome.”
The remaining 27 EU countries meet on March 23 to discuss the possible transition period after Brexit day next year.
Davis admitted that there were still “11 areas of difference”, telling the Commons European Scrutiny Committee, though he also said he couldn’t remember what they all were.
“I can’t list them all from memory, but I could send you a list if you want,” he offered.
There areas of dispute are around the rights of EU citizens, and the arbitration of the European Courts of Justice.
But it’s the Irish border which is the “biggest and most obvious issue”.
On Monday, May had annoyed Dublin when she said the two governments should look to the border between Canada and the US for inspiration.
Updating MPs on Brexit progress, May said: “There are many examples of different arrangements for customs around the rest of the world.
“Indeed, we are looking at those, including for example the border between the United States and Canada.”
Leo Varadkar, the Irish Taoiseach told reporters it was a preposterous idea: “I visited the Canada-US border back in August and saw physical infrastructure with customs posts, people in uniforms with arms and dogs and that is definitely not a solution that we could possibly entertain.”
Yesterday Davis, disagreed, insisting it was a “very open border” apart from some “choke points”.
Earlier in the day Davis met with European Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt.
He said MEPs would not back any deal unless they were given “100 per cent” certainty over rights for EU citizens in Britain.
The MEP said: “My preferential choice would be that Britain still is part of the single market, still is part of the customs union, then most problems would be solved.
“That is not the wish of the UK Government”
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