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BORIS JOHNSON’S POST-Brexit trade deal with the European Union has won the backing of the Brexiteer backbenchers, who have said the agreement “preserves the UK’s sovereignty”.
A self-styled “star chamber” of lawyers – led by senior Tory Sir Bill Cash – was assembled by the European Research Group (ERG) to examine the 1,246-page text of the agreement.
They concluded that the agreement “preserves the UK’s sovereignty as a matter of law and fully respects the norms of international sovereign-to-sovereign treaties”.
In a statement, they said: “The ‘level playing field’ clauses go further than in comparable trade agreements, but their impact on the practical exercise of sovereignty is likely to be limited if addressed by a robust government.
“In any event they do not prevent the UK from changing its laws as it sees fit at a risk of tariff countermeasures, and if those were unacceptable the Agreement could be terminated on 12 months’ notice.”
The ERG’s legal advisory committee included Sir Bill, Martin Howe QC, Barnabas Reynolds, Christopher Howarth, Emily Law and the MP David Jones.
On fisheries, they stated that the agreement “temporarily limits the exercise of the UK’s sovereign rights over its waters that would apply in the absence of the Agreement”.
However, they said that at the end of the fishing transition period the UK “will have the legal right to take full control of its waters” and therefore the “question of practical sovereignty” is “dependent on the preparedness and robustness of the UK Government’s response at that time, which we are confident they will achieve”.
The backing of the ERG will be welcomed by the Prime Minister, who could have faced a rebellion on his backbenches without their support.
However, if they had failed to back the deal, it would likely have still passed comfortably tomorrow with Labour support.
Labour is alone among the opposition parties in saying it will support the deal – with the SNP and the Liberal Democrats having said they will vote against it.
But Keir Starmer faces a high-profile revolt over his decision to back the agreement.
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell and ex-cabinet minister Ben Bradshaw are among the signatories to a statement calling on opposition parties not to support the “rotten” agreement.
The DUP, which backed Brexit, has also said it will oppose the deal because the Brexit divorce settlement imposes customs checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
MPs and peers will debate and vote on the EU (Future Relationship) Bill on Wednesday with the legislation being rushed through in a day ahead of the end of the transition period at 11pm on Thursday.
Meanwhile tomorrow, the deal will be signed in Brussels by EU chiefs before being flown by an RAF plane to London for Johnson to sign.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the international treaty would be signed by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Charles Michel before being flown across the Channel.
An RAF plane will transport the treaty, accompanied by UK and EU officials, and the document is expected to be signed by the Prime Minister in Downing Street tomorrow afternoon.
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Dinosaurs voting for extinction.
@theseadoc thinking they are going back to the glory days of the empire.
@Brian Madden: jesus, grown adults calling themselves the star chamber, the UK is electing some beauties these days.
@Rayzor: This is not a lie, 100% true. They call themselves individually amongst themselves the ‘Star Wizards’, I wish I was joking but I am not.
@Gary Garden: Sure it’s hard to believe that Mark Francois is actually a real person and not a Harry Enfield character.
@Rayzor: Very true haha
On a general note the Conservative party particularly their cabinet and the right wing are really pitiful, a combination of air heads masquerading as ministers and then the old empire enthusiasts. Go Global Britain lol it’s such a comedy show.
@Gary Garden: can’t be doing to bad if they’re the 5th richest country in the whole entire world
@Michael Patrick: Hello Westy, they wont be in top 10 soon.
@Gary Garden: They have the 5th biggest economy but on a per capita basis they are miles down the table, 26th on GDP(PPP) and 20th GDP(nominal). Ireland is within the top 4 of both. They also have the wealthiest part of Northern europe in London but also 9 of the 10 most impoverished parts.
@Rayzor: Hi Rayzor, I lived and worked in the UK for over 6 years. I know where the wealth and poverty is quite well. This is Brexit and the only outcome is the rich will get richer and I dont need to say the rest. The average Brit is über gullible and just need to hear a posh and plump voice to believe they are as a country going in the right direction. They are in for a rude awakening now. No voice on the big table, US under Biden isnt going to prioritise the ‘special relationship’ BS which is just Anglo Saxon nostalgia by the way. They are now a minnow, they wonr even draw in FDI as they dont have EU labour market access. Its beyond mindblowingly stupid what they’ve dont.
@Gary Garden: hello spa who you calling westy
I think the differences between Theresa’s proposals and what has now been agreed are very small. The old Tory empire worshippers have now seen a little of what they could have expected if they had achieved the hard Brexit they so craved. The motorways to the ports blocked and no one in the EU too worried about their great friends in UK and best of all Donald dumped from power and replaced by a politician who knows that world prosperity is built on cooperation and not isolation. Good man Joe B.
@JG: where can I find an honest comparison between the Teresa deal and the current deal?
So let me get this straight – the ERG (who wanted Brexit so the UK could “reclaim its sovereignty from the EU”), are now saying that the Brexit deal is good because it “preserves the UK’s sovereignty”.
Last time I checked, “preserves” means to maintain something in its current or original state – in other words, preserving UK sovereignty is keeping what’s already in place….
@Brian: Preserve can refer to the future too
@Thomas O’ Donnell: preserve can be jam
I don’t know which is worse. Being a Brexiteer or a member of the Republican Party in the USA.
@Tim Quigley: you don’t know much.
It’s their decision and they have followed through. We’ll only know if it’s a good or Abad thing in years to come. But good luck to them.
@Sean Oige: Yes, they might need a bit of luck.
Dup party unmangling itself from the front wheel of the bus after it getting chucked under it.a party that wanted brexit now votes against brexit,haha
@reginald: mistake they made was not backing May’s deal. If they had they be no border north/south or east/west. Current deal has certainly weakened the Union.
The concept of sovereignty and the reality of the Fishing aspect of the Brexit deal are mutually exclusive and it would be disingenuous to claim otherwise. Scottish fishermen are rightly concerned at the very suggestion of having taken back “sovereignty “ given that the status quo ante shall pertain for 5.5 long years and even then the EU has an option to resile from the whole Agreement should a negotiated access to UK waters not be agreed. Even if a further Agreement can be negotiated it’s terms will be slanted in favour of the French fleet under pain of the sort of disruption witnessed at Dover in the past few days. Better to have forced Macron’s hand but when the Brits witnessed the chais at Dover the writing was on the wall. Fishing was a zero sum game in terms of hard economics
Those knobs would vote for anything
That black microphone really looks like a horn
oh course they are happy – the right of the UK to control it’s financial services and retain their tax havens was a priority to the offshore wealthy I understand. That it seems was worth it over an EU – UK financial services agreement.
Actually, not the worst outcome for Ireland by any means.. sorry about the fish – but this makes interesting reading https://ec.europa.eu/ireland/news/key-eu-policy-areas/fisheries_en
Them knobs would vote for anything.
Its pretty ironic that one of the stated reasons for the ERG supporting this deal is, that they don’t see it as binding, to the extent that they can choose to renege on it as soon as it pleases a “robust government” to do so and then trade under WTO rules and tariffs.
have your say