Boris Johnson today compared Theresa May’s Brexit deal to the Titanic – as he urged unionists to join forces and kill it off.
In a blistering attack delivered at the DUP conference in Belfast, the former foreign secretary warned that the PM was headed for an ‘iceberg’ and her package would leave Northern Ireland ‘ruled by the EU’.
In a pre-prepared speech released to the media ahead of taking to the podium, he said Mrs May was giving away the £39billion divorce settlement too easily – suggesting half should be withheld until after a final trade agreement is sealed at the end of 2020.
Mr Johnson said in his speech today that the EU had pulled a ‘very clever trick’ by making Northern Ireland ‘their indispensable bargaining chip’
Boris Johnson delivered a bruising speech at the DUP party conference today in Belfast in which he said Mrs May was giving away the £39billion divorce settlement too easily
Boris Johnson arrives at the DUP party conference in Belfast today as he prepares to deliver a speech criticising Theresa May’s Brexit plan. He was greeted with a kiss from DUP Leader Arlene Foster
The condemnation came after the DUP made clear it is ready to pull the plug on its support for May if she does not think again, potentially bringing her time in No10 to a halt.
The premier is scrambling to seal her divorce deal with the EU at a summit tomorrow – although wrangling with Spain over the status of Gibraltar could yet throw a spanner in the works.
But even if she succeeds the PM is facing ‘mission impossible’ to get her agreement through Parliament, with more than 80 Tory MPs publicly vowing to rebel in a crunch vote next month. The DUP, Labour, the SNP and Lib Dems are also against the package – with a catastrophic defeat seeming all-but inevitable.
Mr Johnson again stopped short of calling for Mrs May to be ousted today, despite dozens of other Eurosceptics putting in no-confidence letters.
But he attempted to burnish his leadership credentials by delivering a speech to the DUP conference and urging them to keep standing up for the Union.
Mr Johnson was greeted by both DUP Leader Arlene Foster and Deputy leader Nigel Dodds as he arrived at the conference this afternoon
Mr Johnson said the country was ‘on the the verge of making a historic mistake’ in his speech at the DUP party conference today
Slamming the draft agreement as a consequence of ‘failure of political will’, Mr Johnson said the government should tear up the irish border ‘backstop’ plan and instead rely on technology to avoid a hard line between Northern Ireland and the Republic after Brexit.
He said future trade with the EU should be based on a ‘Canada-plus’ model that ensured the UK could still strike trade deals elsewhere.
Mr Johnson said the country was ‘on the the verge of making a historic mistake’.
‘If we are not careful we are going to stay in the customs union, we are going to stay in the single market, we are going to be rules takers,’ he said.
‘Unless we junk this backstop, we will find that Brussels has got us exactly where they want us – a satellite state.
‘We will continue to accept the terms under which they have a surplus in trade in goods with us of £95billion pounds.
‘But with no power to influence those terms. We won’t be able to do free trade deals of any value or significance.’
Mr Johnson said the EU had pulled a ‘very clever trick’ by making Northern Ireland ‘their indispensable bargaining chip’.
Samantha Sacramento (left), Minister for Housing and Equality in the Government of Gibraltar met with DUP Party Leader, Arlene Foster (right), today during the party’s annual conference at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Belfast
Ms Sacramento gave a rousing address in which she said it was critical the United Kingdom ensures Spain does not make attempts to remove its sovereignty
Questions had been raised over whether the crucial EU summit would go ahead, after Spain’s Prime Minister threatened he wouldn’t attend.
He said it must be allowed to give its specific assent to any changes to its relationship to the European Union in a future agreement between Britain and Brussels.
But speaking earlier today at the DUP conference a Gibraltar housing minister demanded that Spain be given no hope of taking away its sovereignty in Brexit talks.
Samantha Sacramento was given a rousing reception by the DUP faithful in Belfast as she insisted Gibraltar will not be ‘bullied’ by any bid from Madrid to undermine its sovereignty.
Her comments come just one day before a crucial EU summit where leaders of the EU27 will meet with the aim of endorsing the draft Brexit withdrawal agreement and to approve the draft Political Declaration on future UK-EU relations.
She was responding to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who yesterday warned he might not attend the summit if the leaders do not acknowledge that Madrid holds a veto over the fate of Gibraltar in any post-Brexit negotiation of new EU-UK ties.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (pictured in Cuba) warned last night that he may not attend a crucial EU summit on Sunday should he not be granted more concessions over Gibraltar
Ms Sacramento was standing in for Gibraltar’s chief minister Fabian Picardo. Mr Picardo had been due to address the party conference this morning, but the renewed focus on the British territory in the Brexit talks forced him to pull out to focus on the negotiations.
She was applauded as she told DUP conference delegates in the Crown Plaza Hotel: ‘Gibraltar will not fold.
‘The Union Jack, our precious Union Jack, is not a mere flag. To those of us who have endured hard times to secure the continuity of our British heritage, our British values and freedoms, the Union Jack encapsulates all we are as a people.’
Prime Minister Theresa May has insisted the proposed EU withdrawal deal is in the interests of ‘the whole UK family’, including Gibraltar.
Ms Sacramento said Gibraltar was committed to making Brexit work, despite the fact that 96 per cent of its citizens voted Remain.
‘It is critical that the United Kingdom remains firm in the defence of our right to self-determination and that Spain is given no hope in its campaign to take our sovereignty from us,’ she told the DUP faithful.
‘Our borders and our history are very different but our solidarity in defence of our democratic right to preserve our British way of life is unshakeable.’
She concluded: ‘Gibraltar greatly appreciates the support that the DUP has expressed in support of Gibraltar and its right to remain British and, as my chief minister so often says, we are red, white and blue, we are red, white and proud.’
Visiting Cuba last night, Pedro Sanchez said that Madrid must be allowed to negotiate directly with London on Gibraltar.
The rock of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, historically claimed by Spain, is seen from the Spanish city of La Linea de la Concepcion, southern Spain, this morning. Last night Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez ramped up pressure on Theresa May insisting he be given more concessions over the land
Today housing minister Samantha Sacramento insisted Gibraltar (a high street is pictured today) will not be ‘bullied’ by any bid from Madrid to undermine its sovereignty
He said it must be allowed to give its specific assent to any changes to its relationship to the European Union in a future agreement between Britain and Brussels.
‘If there’s no agreement, it’s very clear what will happen, there very probably won’t be a European Council’ summit, he said.
Gibraltar, a tiny rocky outcrop home to a port and around 30,000 people, is a British territory claimed by Spain and will be a bone of contention as London negotiates a new relationship with Brussels after Brexit day on March 29.
Luis Marco Aguiriano Nalda, Spain’s secretary of state for European affairs, said Madrid wanted London to put in writing that it shared Madrid’s interpretation of the negotiated Brexit deal texts regarding its stance on Gibraltar.
‘We have demanded that it be published by the British authorities before the European Council on Sunday,’ said in Brussels.
In London, however, a Downing Street source said he did not know what document Aguiriano could be referring to and added: ‘We have negotiated on behalf of the whole of the UK family. That includes Gibraltar and the overseas territories.’
The dispute over Gibraltar is not the only issue threatening Mrs May’s Brexit discussions this weekend.
The EU is threatening to withhold Britain’s right to extend its planned post-Brexit transition period beyond 2020 over a dispute over fishing rights.
It is among the issues up for discussion at the crucial summit tomorrow, and focuses on European fisherman being given access to UK waters ‘well before’ the extension is triggered.
In a draft document seen by the Financial Times, the EU warns that a deal on fishing is a ‘matter of priority’.
The dispute comes as Theresa May heads to Brussels today in the hope of securing fellow leaders’ backing for her Brexit deal.
She is this evening due to separately meet with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and president of the European Council, Donald Tusk.
On Thursday Mr Tusk sent a draft of the political declaration to the EU 27 countries.
The document sets out the framework for the future relationship between the UK and the EU.
It has been agreed at negotiators’ level and agreed in principle at political level.
Theresa May (pictured) heads to Brussels this evening ahead of a crucial EU summit on Sunday. Leaders of the EU27 will meet with the aim of endorsing the draft Brexit withdrawal agreement and to approve the draft Political Declaration on future UK-EU relations
Theresa May will meet separately with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker (pictured) and president of the European Council, Donald Tusk
Should Spain not torpedo plans, leaders of the EU27 will meet on Sunday with the aim of endorsing the draft Brexit withdrawal agreement and to approve the draft Political Declaration on future UK-EU relations.
The Withdrawal Agreement is the 585-page legal text that sets out the terms of the UK’s departure.
Among its contents are arrangements for the contentious Northern Ireland backstop and the £39 billion ‘divorce bill’.
PM reveals she was sent cupcake by girl to ‘make her smile’
Nine-year-old Gabby Balaes sent the PM a cupcake with her face on it
The PM yesterday revealed she was sent a cupcake by a nine-year-old girl who wanted to cheer her up over Brexit.
Mrs May said she had received messages of support from members of the public – including a young girl who made her a cake.
She told the BBC: ‘I’ve had a huge number of messages – really kind messages – from people up and down the country, who have sent me flowers.
‘One nine-year-old, Gabby Balaes, actually baked a cupcake with my face on it.
‘There was a message. It said that her dad had said I’d had a tough week and she wanted to make me smile.’
She said she was ‘sorry’ and ‘disappointed’ that some members of her Cabinet had resigned over her Brexit stance, adding: ‘Obviously, they have got strong feelings about this issue, they had campaigned to leave the EU and they had done good work in the Cabinet.’
Asked if she might sometimes ‘go home and swear’ about colleagues walking out, she replied: ‘No, it’s up to people’s choice.’
The declaration states how trade, security and other issues will work in broader terms.
As Mrs May makes a final push to get approval for her deal in Brussels there is due to be a weekend of vocal discontent at home.
Just last week she announced she would be going on the road to convince voters her deal was the ‘right one’ for Britain – effectively tying her political fortunes to the project.
While in interview with BBC’s Emma Barnett yesterday she refused to say if she would quit if she fails during a live radio phone-in.
She said the deal – due to be signed off by the EU leaders on Sunday – would protect jobs and allow Britain to get on with Brexit in March.
But asked repeatedly whether she will resign if she loses in the Commons – as seems inevitable – Mrs May swerved the question to insist: ‘No… I’m focusing on ensuring that we get this deal through Parliament.
‘I believe this is absolutely the right deal for the UK. This is not about me.’
The DUP conference is taking place in Belfast, where leader Arlene Foster is due to tell delegates that the Withdrawal Agreement’s backstop plans are against Northern Ireland’s interests. Tory Brexiteer Boris Johnson is also expected to speak.
Democratic Unionist deputy leader Nigel Dodds told the Prime Minister in his speech at the conference today that it was not too late to bin the Brexit deal.
He warned that the proposed Withdrawal Agreement would see the UK assume a ‘pitiful and pathetic place’.
The party’s Westminster leader insisted the union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was ‘non-negotiable’.
‘It is still not too late for the Prime Minister to change course,’ said the North Belfast MP.
‘Don’t believe the propaganda that it’s too late – it isn’t.’
Mr Dodds, who spoke ahead of scheduled addresses by party leader Arlene Foster and former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, offered a scathing critique of the Irish border ‘backstop’ proposal that would see Northern Ireland operate under a number of different regulatory rules to Great Britain if a wider UK/EU trade deal fails to materialise.
Deputy Leader of the DUP Nigel Dodds told the party conference in Belfast today that it was ‘not too late for the Prime Minister to change course’
‘The DUP wants a deal with the European Union, we understand that businesses, families and communities want certainty,’ he told delegates.
‘But it is not this deal. It is not a deal at any price. The prime minister used to say that. We still say that.
‘So Prime Minister, the message from this conference, from every section of this party is – bin the backstop.’
He added: ‘In the coming weeks Parliament will be faced with a clear choice on the future of our country.
‘To be a free independent trading nation leaving the EU as one United Kingdom or to be locked into an EU straitjacket, divided and diminished.
‘The published Withdrawal Agreement portrays a pitiful and pathetic place for the United Kingdom.
‘Hundreds of pages are devoted to a backstop which will bind the United Kingdom into taking the rules of the EU with no right to leave and no end date.’
Also speaking today, finance minister Philip Hammond claimed that Britain’s draft deal to leave the European Union is the best available solution to safeguard the economy and start to reunite a divided country.
‘This deal is a way of Britain leaving the European Union … with minimum negative impact on our economy,’ Hammond told the BBC.
‘The only thing that is holding the economy back at the moment is uncertainty about our relationship with the European Union,’ he added.
‘If we were to leave the EU without a deal I have no doubt that the consequences for the economy would be very serious indeed, very disruptive and very negative for jobs, for prosperity in the future.’
Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster greets UK Chancellor Phillip Hammond as he arrives to speak at the DUP party conference yesterday. He defended the draft Brexit agreement as good for the country
Hammond, who met DUP leader Arlene Foster on Friday, defended the agreement as good for a country where divisions have been exposed by the June 2016 EU referendum.
‘Remaining in the EU after a clear referendum decision to leave EU would be utterly debilitating to our politics, it would completely undermine confidence in the political system and leave large numbers of people feeling betrayed,’ he said.
‘We also have to look at the political healing process, bringing our country back together, because (…) countries that are disunited and divided are not successful countries.’
Later this morning, the chancellor told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he believed the deal on offer was better for the UK than remaining in the EU, stressing that it would help heal the divisions caused by Brexit.
‘It’s a way of leaving the European Union with minimum negative impact on our economy,’ he said.
‘Economics is not the only consideration – we also have to look at the political healing process, bringing our country back together because countries that are disunited and divided are not successful countries.
‘If we want this country to be successful in the future, we have got to bring it back together after this process.’
He warned that a no-deal Brexit would unleash ‘economic chaos’, adding: ‘If the meaningful vote is lost we are in uncharted territory. We will be faced with potential economic chaos; I am sure we would get a very negative reaction from the business community, from investors, from the markets.
He added ‘we might end up with no deal, we might end up with no Brexit’ if the Withdrawal Agreement is blocked by Parliament.
Is May’s deal already sunk? Eighty nine Tories have already come out against it meaning she must find more than 90 votes from Brexiteer rebels, DUP and Labour to get it through the Commons
Theresa May has secured her deal in Brussels but her fight to get it actually in place in time for Brexit day is just beginning.
The ‘meaningful vote’ promised to MPs is expected to happen in early December and is the single biggest hurdle to the Brexit deal happening – and Mrs May’ fate as PM.
Mrs May needs at least 318 votes in the Commons if all 650 MPs turns up – but can probably only be confident of around 230 votes.
The number is less than half because the four Speakers, 7 Sinn Fein MPs and four tellers will not take part.
The situation looks grim for Mrs May and her whips: now the deal has been published, 89 of her own MPs and the 10 DUP MPs have publicly stated they will join the Opposition parties in voting No.
This means the PM could have as few as 225 votes in her corner – leaving 410 votes on the other side, a landslide majority 185.
This is how the House of Commons might break down:
Mrs May needs at least 318 votes in the Commons if all 650 MPs turns up – but can probably only be confident of around 230 votes.
Mrs May needs at least 318 votes in the Commons if all 650 MPs turns up – but can probably only be confident of around 230 votes.
The Government (plus various hangers-on)
Who are they: All members of the Government are the so-called ‘payroll’ vote and are obliged to follow the whips orders or resign. It includes the Cabinet, all junior ministers, the whips and unpaid parliamentary aides.
There are also a dozen Tory party ‘vice-chairs and 17 MPs appointed by the PM to be ‘trade envoys’.
How many of them are there? 178.
What do they want? For the Prime Minister to survive, get her deal and reach exit day with the minimum of fuss.
Many junior ministers want promotion while many of the Cabinet want to be in a position to take the top job when Mrs May goes.
How will they vote? With the Prime Minister.
European Research Group Brexiteers demanding a No Confidence Vote
Who are they: The most hardline of the Brexiteers, they launched a coup against Mrs May after seeing the divorce. Led by Jacob Rees-Mogg and Steve Baker.
How many of them are there: 26
What do they want: The removal of Mrs May and a ‘proper Brexit’. Probably no deal now, with hopes for a Canada-style deal later.
How will they vote: Against the Prime Minister.
Other Brexiteers in the ERG
Who are they: There is a large block of Brexiteer Tory MPs who hate the deal but have so far stopped short of moving to remove Mrs May – believing that can destroy the deal instead. They include ex Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith and ex minister Owen Paterson.
Ex ministers like Boris Johnson and David Davis are also in this group – they probably want to replace Mrs May but have not publicly moved against her.
How many of them are there? Around 50.
What do they want? The ERG has said Mrs May should abandon her plans for a unique trade deal and instead negotiate a ‘Canada plus plus plus’ deal.
This is based on a trade deal signed between the EU and Canada in August 2014 that eliminated 98 per cent of tariffs and taxes charged on goods shipped across the Atlantic.
The EU has long said it would be happy to do a deal based on Canada – but warn it would only work for Great Britain and not Northern Ireland.
How will they vote: Against the Prime Minister.
Remain including the People’s Vote supporters
Who are they: Tory MPs who believe the deal is just not good enough for Britain. They include the group of unrepentant Remainers who want a new referendum like Anna Soubry and ex-ministers who quit over the deal including Jo Johnson and Phillip Lee.
How many of them are there: Maybe around 10.
What do they want? To stop Brexit. Some want a new referendum, some think Parliament should step up and say no.
A new referendum would take about six months from start to finish and they group wants Remain as an option on the ballot paper, probably with Mrs May’s deal as the alternative.
How will they vote? Against the Prime Minister.
Moderates in the Brexit Delivery Group (BDG) and other Loyalists
Who are they? A newer group, the BDG counts members from across the Brexit divide inside the Tory Party. It includes former minister Nick Boles and MPs including Remainer Simon Hart and Brexiteer Andrew Percy.
There are also lots of unaligned Tory MPs who are desperate to talk about anything else.
How many of them are there? Based on public declarations, about 48 MPs have either said nothing or backed the deal.
What do they want? The BDG prioritises delivering on Brexit and getting to exit day on March 29, 2019, without destroying the Tory Party or the Government. If the PM gets a deal the group will probably vote for it.
It is less interested in the exact form of the deal but many in it have said Mrs May’s Chequers plan will not work.
Mr Boles has set out a proposal for Britain to stay in the European Economic Area (EEA) until a free trade deal be negotiated – effectively to leave the EU but stay in close orbit as a member of the single market.
How will they vote? With the Prime Minister.
The DUP
Who are they? The Northern Ireland Party signed up to a ‘confidence and supply’ agreement with the Conservative Party to prop up the Government.
They are Unionist and say Brexit is good but must not carve Northern Ireland out of the Union.
How many of them are there? 10.
What do they want? A Brexit deal that protects Northern Ireland inside the UK.
How will they vote? Against the Prime Minister on the grounds they believe the deal breaches the red line of a border in the Irish Sea.
Labour Loyalists
Who are they? Labour MPs who are loyal to Jeremy Corbyn and willing to follow his whipping orders.
How many of them are there? Up to 250 MPs depending on exactly what Mr Corbyn orders them to do.
What do they want? Labour policy is to demand a general election and if the Government refuses, ‘all options are on the table’, including a second referendum.
Labour insists it wants a ‘jobs first Brexit’ that includes a permanent customs union with the EU. It says it is ready to restart negotiations with the EU with a short extension to the Article 50 process.
The party says Mrs May’s deal fails its six tests for being acceptable.
How will they vote? Against the Prime Minister’s current deal.
Labour Rebels
Who are they? A mix of MPs totally opposed to Mr Corbyn’s leadership, some Labour Leave supporters who want a deal and some MPs who think any deal will do at this point.
How many of them are there? Maybe 10 to 20 MPs but this group is diminishing fast – at least for the first vote on the deal.
What do they want? An orderly Brexit and to spite Mr Corbyn.
How will they vote? With the Prime Minister.
Other Opposition parties
Who are they? The SNP, Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru, Green Caroline Lucas and assorted independents.
How many of them are there? About 60 MPs.
How will they vote? Mostly against the Prime Minister – though two of the independents are suspended Tories and two are Brexiteer former Labour MPs.