What happens if Parliament passes Theresa May’s draft Brexit deal?
It's still a big if whether or not May's Brexit deal will be passed through Parliament, but if it is, here's what could happen...
TWO Cabinet ministers have resigned, shocking Theresa May's government to the core.
But if the PM's Brexit deal passes (still a big, big if), the UK could face more political turmoil by the time 2020 arrives.
What will happen if Theresa May's Brexit deal is passed in Parliament?
Locked into the customs union indefinitely through the issue of the Irish backstop, the UK would have to apply the EU's tariff and would be unable to sign free-trade deals on goods with other countries.
Some argue the backstop is a ploy to keep the UK in by the backdoor.
May's plan would promise to keep the UK in the EU's powerful regulatory orbit.
The European Commission, for example, would retain the power to overturn a UK government decision to subsidise a factory in Northern Ireland.
What about extending the transition?
Negotiations would start on 30 March 2019, the day after Brexit day.
They would take place during a 21-month standstill transition period when the UK would continue to follow all EU law while having no ministers, MEPs or other decision-makers at the table.
The problem here is that if the negotiating time is too short, the transition time wouldn't be worth the effort, whilst if it was too long, the world's sixth largest economy would be trapped in a broken-down marriage with the EU.
Even if the Brexit deal becomes law, it would be only the end of the beginning of the road out of the EU.