Theresa May’s new brexit Ministers have hard line Brexit records

Theresa May’s week began in the worst possible way following resignations from her Brexit ministers and Boris Johnson.

The cabinet was hastily shuffled, but the replacements have raised eyebrows among commentators today. They remind us that the new Brexit Secretary, Dominic Raab, has previously called for Britain to use negotiations with the EU to scrap workers’ rights.

It has also emerged that he was responsible for drafting a white paper which called for opt-outs from EU employment regulations, including those that guarantee employees time off and limit the number of hours staff can be made to work.

The Independent also report that he is opposed to giving agency workers the same rights enjoyed by full time workers.

And the replacement junior minister, Chris Heaton- Harris, is the politician who just a few months ago, appallingly wrote to universities across the country demanding to know the names of all lecturers teaching European studies.

He was accused of “McCarthyite” behaviour, following the letter sent to all universities asking them to declare “what they are teaching their students about Brexit and to provide a list of teachers’ names.”

He went on to ask for each universities syllabus and any online lectures on Brexit. This was disgraceful behaviour, but less than a year on from the incident Theresa May has made him her junior minister.

It is a measure of a Prime Minister who offers promotion to someone who displays such shockingly bad political acumen.

Heaton- Harris is a former MEP despite being a Brexiter will have some knowledge of Brussels. Meanwhile Raab who has worked as a lawyer in the Foreign Office has had less direct association with the EU. He is a staunch Brexiter too. Worryingly he is known to be relaxed in the scenario of a ‘no deal’ Brexit.

Raab was criticised by Theresa May in 2011 following an article in which he described some feminists as “obnoxious bigots”, claimed “men were getting a raw deal” and attacked the “equality bandwagon”. Rebuking him at the time Theresa May who was the then Home Secretary and equalities minister accused him of fuelling “gender warfare”.

 

David Davis’ resignation is a total catastrophe for Theresa May

David Davis’ resignation is an absolute disaster for Theresa May’s Brexit plans. The Brexit secretary accusing the PM of subverting the peoples will certainly makes May’s position going forward untenable. Her plans have been two years in the making but have been scuppered in just 48 hours.

I cannot imagine ever being in a position where I would ever agree with the arch Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg but his statement on the Brexit Shambles this morning resonates nonetheless. He said that “Davis’ resignation raises serious questions about the PM’s ideas. Id the Brexit Secretary cannot support them then they cannot be good proposals.”

With such ardent Brexiteers within the party how can Theresa May maintain her authority going forward? Clearly there is no way to keep the Tory Party together on the issue and previous leaders have suffered consequently. How the Government can move on from this is anybody’s guess. Her premiership, and obviously Brexit is in jeopardy.

Two years ago, David Davis was buoyant and full of confidence about being able to deliver a Brexit policy that would be a win win for the UK. “There is no reason whatsoever to expect that most countries in the world would not actively want a free trade agreement with eh UK”. Two years later he has come the realisation that such an agreement is essentially impossible.

The Government’s Brexit plans are in absolute chaos, voters have been misled on all areas of Brexit and specifically on the ease with which it can be achieved (see Davis’ tweet’s above). It was unfair to present it as an easy plan to negotiate.

As the new Brexit minister is announced, Dominic Raab, it is worth noting that he has been described before as a hard Brexiter.

So now, the only fair and sensible solution is to have a people’s vote. Today with May’s Brexit plan in tatters there is no other feasible way forward.

People didn’t vote for chaos and uncertainty

No doubt seeking to emphasise how little time is left, Michel Barnier has issued a warning to the UK Government stating there is not a moment to lose. The next round of negotiations are set to begin but there is open disarray in the Government as to the precise detail of its own negotiations.

Downing Street finally confirmed that it will not remain in the customs union- or any form of it. This came after a series of interviews over the weekend where ministers contradicted themselves over whether the UK would seek to be part of a customs union or not. The Home Secretary, Amber Rudd said that the UK would be seeking membership of something akin to a Customs Union while in an almost simultaneous interview the housing minister, Dominic Raab told Sky news  that Britain would not stay in any form of the Union.

Confusion over the customs union isn’t the only sticking point. The list is endless: how long will the transitional period last? Citizens rights? Ireland? These are big and serious issues which the UK Government just doesn’t seem equipped to deal with, at least not convincingly.

Regardless of how people voted in the referendum they certainly didn’t vote for lack of clarity, uncertainty, hesitant and contradictory (at best) negotiations which lack detail. The public trusted our politicians to get it right but the Government is failing to deliver, which is why a second vote on what the final ‘package’ will look like is not only fair but essential.