The draft outlines the UK handing over almost £40 billion in the divorce bill and some MPs have argued that the EU gives us 'diddly-squat' in return.
THERESA May was accused of handing Brussels “the deal of the century” on the eve of Black Friday in a draft Brexit trade agreement.
The document states the UK will have to pay a divorce bill of up to £39billion. But critics said the EU was giving us “diddly-squat”, with
only a commitment to exploring a “deep and flexible” partnership over two years.
The PM was reduced to urging MPs to back the deal next month because the public want Brexit “settled”.
But ex-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told The Sun: “This is the deal of the century for the EU. We hand over almost £40billion from the UK taxpayer along with everything else they’ve demanded. But we get two-thirds of diddly-squat in return.”
Tory Eurosceptic Priti Patel called it a “costly surrender”. In other developments:
Ex-Tory Minister Rob Halfon joined an estimated 86 Tory MPs vowing to vote down the deal next month.
Jeremy Corbyn accused the PM of leading Britain to a “blindfold Brexit” and producing 26 pages of “waffle”.
Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer said he would now vote remain.
Emails revealed leading officials at the CBI business lobby group privately slated the PM’s Brexit agreement.
The PM announced a “political declaration” outlining how UK-EU trade will work.
It confirmed free movement – allowing unlimited EU immigration – will end.
The EU accepted technology “could” be used to solve the Irish border problem. But there was no EU commitment on “frictionless trade” in the future. The UK also agreed to be bound by various EU rules.
The PM insisted yesterday: “Brexit is within our grasp.”
She told the Commons: “The British people want Brexit settled. They want a good deal that sets us on a course for a brighter future.”
