Running to well over 400 pages and kept securely within Downing Street, the document for Britain’s exit from the European Union has remained the subject of much speculation. However, this has not stopped politicians from across the political spectrum from pre-emptively condemning it.
While former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson warned that the agreed text would give Britain a “colony status” and urged Cabinet members to reject it, at the other end of the political spectrum, Labour MP Chuka Umunna warned that the agreement asked MPs to approve a “£40 billion divorce bill with nothing in return”.
As befitting a comprehensive agreement, the text covers issues ranging from guarantees on the rights of EU citizens in the U.K. and British citizens in EU territories to practicalities such as the financial settlement that the two sides have agreed.
The contentious issue relates to prevention of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The issue has been over the application of a backstop — an effective insurance policy to prevent a hard border in the event of a no-deal scenario.
Aspects of the deal leaked to the British media suggested that a backstop would remain in place up until shortly before the transition period is due to expire in 2020, essentially requiring the U.K. to remain aligned to EU customs rules. Whether this period would be extended and to when would be determined by the EU in conjunction with the U.K., media reports suggested.
