The Brexit deal discussion is now in an emotive state as seen with several resignations from top candidates in the office and hostility felt during parliament on Thursday, but United Kingdom’s (UK) Prime Minister Theresa May is still determined to “see this through.”
Mrs May ran a press conference fielding questions from journalists yesterday. Prior to that, she had spent two-hours answering critical questions from Members of Parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons.
At the conference, when asked about the no-confidence vote that some senior officers are calling to put on Mrs May - a vote that will be triggered if 48 Conservative MPs vote due to having lost confidence with their leader -, the Prime Minister said leadership is about taking the right decisions, and “not the easy ones.”
“As Prime Minister, my job is to bring back a deal that delivers on the vote of the British people,” Mrs May said, adding that the deal would protect jobs, people’s livelihoods, security, and the union of the UK.
“I believe that this is a deal which does deliver that, which is in the national interest. And am I going to see this through?”
“Yes,” she said.
A few senior ministers have thus far, resigned from the Cabinet in protest to Brexit and/or the terms of the divorce. In the latest round, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab who oversaw the Brexit negotiations resigned, saying that he “cannot reconcile the terms of the proposed deal with the promises” made to the country in the manifesto at the last election. “This is, at its heart, a matter of public trust,” he wrote.
According to the BBC, Environment Secretary Michael Gove has been offered to be the new Brexit secretary, but it is not certain if he has accepted the role with the given terms although some news reports say that he has turned down the offer.
If the parliament votes no to the Brexit draft deal, it will lead to a loss of confidence in the government to be able carry through a referendum which could lead to political chaos within the UK.
Deep regrets from people in the UK
Some people in the UK are already regretting their decision to divorce from the European Union (EU). More than half of respondents polled in a Sky News survey preferred to “avoid Brexit altogether,” while 55% of those surveyed say they would opt for another referendum.
Britain chose to leave the EU on June 2016 with a narrow margin of 1.3 million votes voting for an exit, in a 52% - 48% vote. The shock had led to then Prime Minister David Cameron resigning and Mrs May taking the helm with the mission to complete the deal.
The deadline for Britain leaving the EU is on March 19 next year, and Britain has to come to terms quickly in less than 5 months to strike a deal before the time passes or leave with no deal at all.
Some European leaders think Britain may leave with a “no deal.” French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe thinks a no deal may happen as there is uncertainty within the UK, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that there was no question to reopen talks as the draft deal was already on the table.
The Pound plunged against the US dollar to £1.27 on Thursday night. At 2.30am UTC, the pound dipped slightly lower, at £1.28 against the greenback.
