Are Brexit negotiations being delayed because nobody knows what they’re doing?
Theresa May was in her car, on her way to yesterday’s meeting with the Tory 1922 Committee when this shot was taken, but the window gives an impression of her only just keeping her head above water. Today, the undertow may claim her [Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA].
Two ministers – Lord (George) Bridges and David Jones – have left the Department for Exiting the European Union. They account for half the department’s ministerial staff, although a Lady Anelay has been appointed already as a replacement for Bridges.
The UK still has no understood position from which it can negotiate. The EU’s Guy Verhofstadt has expressed impatience at not having received notice of it…
We are impatiently waiting for the negotiating position of the UK gov. The current uncertainty cannot continue.
— Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) June 13, 2017
… but This Writer thinks the simple fact is that we don’t have one.
Why’s that? Simple:
Theresa May and her Tories don’t have a government at the moment. They hope to form one with help from the Northern Irish DUP on a ‘confidence and supply’ basis. But they have to hammer out the details of their agreement and Brexit must be on of those details.
Before an agreement is reached – or rejected – it will be impossible for a UK government to make a statement on its negotiating position.
And remember: If an agreement with the DUP is rejected, then we are not likely to have a Conservative-led UK government. That would throw the entire situation back up in the air.
This Site speculated yesterday that the Queen’s Speech and Brexit talks – said to be delayed by each other – were more likely being delayed because of concerns over whether a DUP deal could be made. As the Tories’ position on Brexit falls ever-further into ruin, this continues to ring true.
Much hinges on an agreement between a far-right gang of extremists and the DUP (an even further-right gang of extremists). For the good of us all, let us hope that Theresa May fails to reach an agreement.
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
The Livingstone Presumption is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
I don’t believe the Tories have ever had a plan. I think they intended to antagonise EU leaders and crash out without a deal, blaming everything on the EU. Right from the very start the whole thing has only ever been a Tory leadership squabble, and it remains so today. These odious people really don’t care who and what they wreck or how widespread the damage, just so long as they keep the nasty Tory Party intact.
As the rats are leaving the sinking ship one wonders if they have suddenly woken up to the fact this will be real hard work not the usual stroll around departments on bloated salaries and pensions…….big boy and girl stuff not the usual civil service career where actually one might now even sacked and never likely to pick up a nice little retirement earner at the end of their helpful careers scratching backs.
I’m quite enjoying seeing these Tories wriggle & squirm in their own quagmire. Better still they have no excuses, no one else to blame as they sink into the pit of oblivion, the futures bright, the future is without the Tories.
With the Tories in absolute disarray and terminally split over Brexit and propped up by Protestant bigot, terrorist apologist DUP then its got to be time for a collegiate approach to negotiations with the 27. To continue with Davies, Fox and Johnson to the fore is contrary to the views expressed at the recent election. The Tories have no mandate for their version of hard Brexit and the majority backed parties that want to see a mutually beneficial compromise.
The negotiations clearly affect all parts of the UK and should involve representatives from all parts. I would advocate sacking the anti European little englanders and replacing them with a moderate lead and then inviting the Welsh Assembly, Scottish Parliament and Northern Ireland assembly as well as representatives from Labour in England to become part of a team negotiating on behalf of a United United Kingdom.
Won’t happen of course. The Tories won’t do anything that doesn’t benefit the Tories no matter what damage it does to he rest of us.
Corbyn has already stated that he is willing and able to enter Brexit Talks READY with tools for negotiation …
Well the eu in its usual arrogant manner expected us to not invoke article 50, and only last week had a meeting to discuss when they might possibly may have a meeting to possibly discuss what they want from Brexit. Therefore the chaos will be when we go and land them with what we want, because they will have no basis on which to negotiate anything.
all fingers,legs, toes(as far as is humanly possible are crossed here with prayers being said to stregthen .. that May will flounder. queens speech and DUP be rejected and Corbyn and Labour get in,… finally. there will be dancing in the streets when that happens.
Yes, despite nearly two thirds of eligible voters not wanting “Brexit”, Article 50 was triggered and we still don’t know why. The Tories went into coalition government in 2015 with no details of their spending plans, remember? Two general elections and the EU referendum successfully obscured significant changes to welfare law in 2015. The Tories know exactly what they are doing to sick and disabled benefit claimants through that legislation and the aim of “Brexit” is to dismantle our human rights laws.
While the idea of the Conservatives and the hateful DUP failing to form an alliance is a pleasing thought, it’s unlikely to make much difference aside from May looking even less in control (if that’s possible) as the Conservatives still have the most seats, and the DUP hate Corbyn for not doing the proper British thing during the troubles, namely ignoring Sinn Fein, so would be more likely to abstain or vote with the Tories rather than with Labour.