Shropshire Star

Brexit vote takes us closer to no deal ­– MP

Britain has moved closer to leaving the EU without a trade deal following a crunch vote in the Commons, an MP has warned.

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Theresa May

The Government’s Customs Bill, which paves the way for a trade deal with the EU, was approved by 318 votes to 285 on Tuesday night.

But this was after Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to accept four amendments tabled by Conservative eurosceptics.

Glyn Davies, MP for Montgomeryshire, said one of these amendments, passed by just three votes, meant the deal was now likely to be rejected by the EU.

It said the UK would not collect tariffs for the EU unless the EU agreed to do the same for the UK.

Mr Davies, a Brexit supporter, said he hoped the amendment did not scupper the plan drawn up by the Prime Minister at Chequers.

“I want us to leave the European Union on the best possible terms, and the amendment to that was not helpful, we will have to see how this all settles down,” he said.

“The amendment was passed, but I don’t think the EU will agree to those terms.

“Whether or not we get a trade deal now depends on how it is managed.”

Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, supported the amendment. He said the slender margin by which the vote was passed showed how important it was to continue to fight for a clean Brexit.

He said he was still undecided whether he would vote in favour of the Government’s deal when it went before the House in its final form.

“People like me will continue to fight for the Brexit that people voted for,” he said.

“The people aren’t stupid, they knew exactly what they wanted to do when they voted to leave.

“We will continue to press forward to give the people what they voted for.”

He said leaving the EU without a trade deal would not be the disaster some people were painting.

“People are using terms like ‘cliff edge’ and ‘no deal’ with negative connotations, but we trade on World Trade Organisation Terms with 80 per cent of the world, including the single largest country we trade with, America. As the Prime Minister said, no deal is better than a bad deal.” Telford MP Lucy Allan, also a Brexit supporter, said she was pleased to see the Customs Bill pass through Parliament.

But she warned that she was prepared to vote against the deal in the autumn if did not deliver what people had voted for.

“If the final deal was watered down such that it is no longer Brexit, I would be prepared to vote against it,” she said.

“If Parliament rejects the Government’s Brexit plan, then there would be a ‘no deal’ Brexit.”

North Shropshire’s Owen Paterson, an arch-eurosceptic, agreed with Mr Kawczynski that leaving the EU without a trade deal and falling back on World Trade Organisation rules was nothing to be afraid of.

He said the UK currently did the bulk of its trade with non-EU countries under World Trade Organisation rules. He added if the UK left the EU without a deal it would not have to hand over the £39 billion ‘divorce settlement’.

Mark Pritchard, MP for the Wrekin, said he supported the Prime Minister’s handling of the negotiations. “The Prime Minister has been clear that we will leave the European Union, but in a way that does not endanger Shropshire jobs, or the county and borough’s prosperity,” he said. “In any negotiations there is always compromise. The big prize is still Brexit, but not a Brexit that increases prices and lowers the UK’s standard of living.”

Philip Dunne, MP for Ludlow, said it was important the bill had been passed.

“I think it is important to give the Prime Minister and the Government the space to negotiate so we can reach an agreement and deliver the referendum result,” he said.

“We need to get on with it.”

All six MPs for Shropshire and Mid Wales voted with the Government in favour of the amendments and the final Bill.