Perhaps nothing better personifies and encapsulates the utter, utter state of this government’s Brexit strategy than footage from the House of Commons earlier today – a scene which can only be described as sheer, unprecedented chaos.
In what is perhaps the greatest metaphor for the Tories’ handling of the Brexit mess cast upon themselves, today Conservative MPs were seen storming through the Commons literally lobbing copies of the crucial Brexit White Paper from cardboard boxes to members sitting on the back benches in the House of Commons.
It is now over two years since the decision of the Brexit referendum was announced, and the White Paper, entitled “the Future Relationship Between the United Kingdom and the European Union” – that was eventually distributed to MPs in scenes reminiscent of a pantomime – was quite literally hot off the presses.
Watch. The biggest political shambles of our age. Theresa May's MPs firing copies of the Brexit White Paper around the parliament chamber because no one has had the chance to read it. 2 years later & the paper is still warm from the printer. She has to go. pic.twitter.com/R3KYDXaisv
— Tory Fibs (@ToryFibs) July 12, 2018
It has been two years of uncertainty as to how our government sees us proceeding into an EU-less future, and it has culminated in a harried meeting at Chequers, the result of which is a White Paper, printed and punted about at Parliamentarians just minutes prior to wet-behind-the-ears Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab’s statement on the document.
Not only is scurrying MPs throwing about the White Paper minutes before it is scrutinised funny, the thing is also entirely scurrilous. The Speaker of the House, John Bercow, was forced to suspend Parliament for five minutes so that members at least had a brief chance to skim-read the 96-page document in order to ask Raab some actual questions on it.
Not only that, but in what was a clear breach of ministerial code, Raab also failed to provide a copy of the statement he would deliver on the White Paper to Labour MP’s before he made the statement orally.
Absolute disgrace, in a clear breach of the ministerial code, we have only just received a copy of the statement from @DominicRaab after he’d started delivering it pic.twitter.com/nYom0Xwt92
— Labour Whips (@labourwhips) July 12, 2018
You can watch how the entire debacle played out below:
While it could be put down to dire incompetence, the inability of the Tories to follow proper process in introducing the White Paper to Parliament gravely undermines accountability and Parliamentary democracy.
Back in 2009 @DominicRaab promised to "cut out the spin" and "not to trail new policy announcements in the media, but always introduce it first to Parliament".
Today he was spinning the Brexit White Paper to journalists while MPs couldn't get a copy. https://t.co/iGuhAhvage pic.twitter.com/vyXzb9vNxg
— The Red Roar (@TheRedRoar) July 12, 2018
The content of the paper is perhaps no less chaotic, as Evolve has been pointing out today:
The Brexit White Paper is utterly batshit crazy. pic.twitter.com/coBufxU9Ul
— Evolve Politics (@evolvepolitics) July 12, 2018
Here's the part in the Brexit White Paper that categorically states that Britain would remain a rule taker from the EU in perpetuity under the Tories' proposals.
It is inconceivable that any Tory hard Brexiteer would ever even contemplate accepting this. pic.twitter.com/VYzsCEgKtq
— Evolve Politics (@evolvepolitics) July 12, 2018
The Tories think that the EU will allow them to leave the Union and still have access to decision making! Absolutely ridiculous hubris – and will be laughed out of the door by EU negotiators! #WhitePaper #BrexitWhitePaper pic.twitter.com/aCMTuBpEOn
— Evolve Politics (@evolvepolitics) July 12, 2018
The Tories are proposing that the UK pays to remain members of the European Medicines Agency, the European Chemicals Agency and the European Aviation Safety Agency – but accepts that Britain will have absolutely no say in decision making.#WhitePaper #BrexitWhitePaper pic.twitter.com/SNBHNBx6fW
— Evolve Politics (@evolvepolitics) July 12, 2018
Indeed, the deal elucidated in the White Paper highlights the growing concessions that Brexit is going to entail. It is looking more and more as though the sovereignty and ‘control’ promised by leading Brexiteers will not materialise.
The ‘common rulebook’ propounded by the Tories will simply be a rehash of Britain adhering to EU rules where they pertain to our future trading relationship with the bloc. The White Paper appears to promulgate for the creation of a free-trade area – or, in reality, yet another rehash of what is the common market.
In all, the document is one that tries to square the softest and hardest of Brexits, which are currently fighting a war within the Tory party. It promises regulatory ‘cooperation’, which of course means subservience to the regulations put forward by the party with more clout.
On justice, the Paper is vague. It asks for an implementation of something like the Lugano Convention regarding jurisdiction and choice of law – however, that something is yet to be detailed. However, in what is good news for right-minded individuals, but will surely enflame hardcore Brexiteers, is that we are set to remain a member of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Oh dear. The Hard Brexiteers are going to be apoplectic about this one:
Theresa May has pledged to keep Britain as a member of the European Convention on Human Rights – something she was planning to ditch before her disastrous 2017 General Election. pic.twitter.com/3gZIDgMXaL
— Evolve Politics (@evolvepolitics) July 12, 2018
The White Paper, it appears, does nought but reword many of the existing rights and obligations in effect in Britain as a member of the EU currently. It is, essentially, membership of the EU, but without any of the voting rights whatsoever.
