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May to UK lawmakers: Back My deal or face catastrophe

British Prime Minister Theresa May (AFP photo)

By Theresa May

The verdict of the referendum was clear – the people of the UK want our future to be outside the European Union. But behind the record number of votes cast lie many different views about exactly what that future should look like.

The same is true of Parliament. The vast majority of MPs want to respect the result of the referendum, which is why nearly all of us voted to trigger Article 50 two years ago. But there is far less of a consensus about the manner of our departure from the EU. This week, I have seen more than 200 MPs from different parties who want to rule out No Deal. I have debated with MPs who want a Second Referendum as well as those who want to pursue what they believe to be the perfect deal which for them means no deal at all.

And I have spoken with business and union leaders worried about jobs who want the certainty that comes from a smooth and orderly transition to our future relationship with the EU.

As Prime Minister, it is my duty to navigate a path through this complex web of views. That is why, since 2016, I have been working tirelessly to pull together the huge variety of options and opinions into a Brexit that works for the whole of the UK.

And, after negotiating hard, standing up for the UK, and winning concessions many said were impossible to achieve, that is what I have done.

The deal I have secured delivers for our whole country. It takes back control of our borders by ending free movement once and for all. It takes back control of our laws by ending the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in the UK.

And it takes back control of our money by ending the vast sums that we send to Brussels each year, so we can invest more in domestic priorities like the long-term plan for our NHS.

The deal gives us an unprecedented economic relationship with our European neighbors, one that no other major country enjoys, protecting British jobs.

But it also takes back control of our trade policy, so for the first time in 40 years we can seize the exciting opportunity to forge new trade deals with partners all around the world – just this week, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Downing Street to talk about future trade ties.

And by getting us out of the Common Agricultural Policy and the Commons Fisheries Policy, our deal will also make Britain an independent coastal state once again, with full control over our waters.

And the deal keeps us safe with the broadest security relationship in the EU’s history, and ensures the integrity of our precious United Kingdom – all essential if we are to move on from what has become a corrosive public debate and instead begin the process of bringing our country back together.

On Tuesday, your MP will be asked to vote on this deal and with it, your future.

It is the biggest and most important decision that any MP of our generation will be asked to make. So they must decide what really matters.

It is not a debating contest with prizes handed out for ideological purity of position. In Jeremy Corbyn I face a Labour leader who is more concerned with playing politics than acting in the best interests of our country.

Rather than trying to deliver what people voted for and bring the country together, he wants to try and force a general election - recklessly sowing the seeds of division in a bid to boost his own career.

But if Parliament does not come together and back this deal in our national interest we risk leaving with no deal, with all the uncertainty for jobs and security that will bring.

Or, with MPs unwilling to face the uncertainty of no deal and with no other offer on the table, we will risk not leaving the European Union at all.

You, the British people, voted to leave. And then, in the 2017 General Election, 80 per cent of you voted for MPs who stood on manifestos to respect that referendum result.

You have delivered your instructions. Now it is our turn to deliver for you.

When you turned out to vote in the referendum, you did so because you wanted your voice to be heard. Some of you put your trust in the political process for the first time in decades. We cannot – and must not– let you down.

Doing so would be a catastrophic and unforgivable breach of trust in our democracy. So my message to Parliament this weekend is simple: it is time to forget the games and do what is right for our country.

(This article was originally published by Daily Express.)


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