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House must have power to stop ‘No Deal’ Brexit: Oppn

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BIRMINGHAM: Britain’s opposition Labour Party on Monday demanded that parliament have the final say on the government’s Brexit deal, including an option to send ministers back to the negotiating table rather than leave without an exit agreement.


After reaching a deal last week on a transitional period lasting until the end of 2020, Prime Minister Theresa May’s team must now negotiate Britain’s long-term trading arrangements with the European Union — perhaps the hardest stage yet in the complicated divorce talks.


The government has promised to put that final deal to parliament for approval, but has made clear the choice is either to accept the exit agreement, or leave without a deal. On Monday, Labour’s Brexit policy chief Keir Starmer called for a different approach.


“If parliament rejects the terms of the Prime Minister’s deal that would not give her licence to crash out without an agreement. Far from it: that would be the worst of all possible worlds,” he said in a speech in Birmingham.


In a separate speech, former Labour prime minister Tony Blair, whose centrist views are at odds with the current left-wing leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, will urge parliament to go further and insist on a referendum on accepting the deal.


A so-called ‘No Deal’ exit would likely cause upheaval on financial markets, throw cross-border trade into confusion, and spark a political crisis in the world’s sixth largest economy.


Labour will seek to give parliament more options — including a return to Brussels for fresh talks — by amending the legislation that will end Britain’s EU membership on March 29, 2019. — Reuters


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