Brexit deal 'is not a humiliation for Britain,' says Jean-Claude Juncker - as Theresa May tells MPs to back her

Jacob Jarvis26 November 2018
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker insisted Brexit is "not a humiliation for Britain" as Theresa May embarked on a two-week campaign to save her leadership and drum up support for her Brexit deal among MPs.

A day after EU leaders finally endorsed the Prime Minister's Brexit deal , Mr Juncker said: "This is the only deal possible. So, if the House (of Commons) says no, we would have no deal."

"It's not the intention of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, nor of the Parliament, to go for a second referendum. This is the deal."

"I don't understand why the British people, and I like the British people for so many including historical reasons, why they are feeling that they are humiliated.

"I don't see that because numerous points of view of the British have been taken into this deal. So, this is not a humiliation for Britain. Everybody is losing."

Theresa May is facing a two-week battle to get her Brexit deal through parliament
EPA

Mrs May will today direct MPs to back her Brexit plan or risk crashing out of the European Union with no deal.

The Prime Minister is embarking on a two-week struggle today to save her Brexit deal and her leadership, with a Commons vote predicted to take place before MPs break for Christmas with December 12 a likely date.

Theresa May and European Council president Donald Tusk meet during a special EU summit in Brussels
EPA

Mrs May will face the Commons after EU leaders endorsed her Brexit deal yesterday and made it clear it was not up for renegotiation.

Mrs May will tell the Commons "with absolute certainty" that "there is not a better deal available".

In a busy day for the PM, she is due to host her ministers at 10.30am before conducting her speech at 3.30pm.

"This House can choose to reject this deal and go back to square one... It would open the door to more division and more uncertainty, with all the risks that will entail," she is due to say.

The Prime Minister will warn rejecting her deal will "open the door to more division and uncertainty, with all the risks that will entail".

Before making her speech, a National Institute of Economic and Social Research analysis of the Brexit deal is set to be released at 12pm.

It will look at the potential economic impact of the agreement.

At a historic summit in Brussels on Sunday, the leaders of the remaining 27 member states took less than 40 minutes to approve the deal.

Mrs May will now put it to a vote of MPs before Christmas but faces a battle to get it through the House of Commons in the face of intense opposition on both the Leave and Remain-supporting wings of her party.

Michel Barnier, the EU's Chief Negotiator, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, EU Council President Donald Tusk
EPA

She has already started a campaign of selling her deal directly to the public in the hope their support can win round MPs opposed to the plan before the Commons vote.

Part of that plan could include a televised debate with Jeremy Corbyn, the Daily Telegraph reported.

A Labour Party spokesman said: "Jeremy would relish a head-to-head debate with Theresa May about her botched Brexit deal and the future of the country."

A televised debate between Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May has been rumoured
Getty Images

In her Commons statement the Prime Minister will say: "Our duty as a Parliament over these coming weeks is to examine this deal in detail, to debate it respectfully, to listen to our constituents and decide what is in our national interest.

"There is a choice which MPs will have to make. We can back this deal, deliver on the vote of the referendum and move on to building a brighter future of opportunity and prosperity for all our people.

"Or this House can choose to reject this deal and go back to square one ... It would open the door to more division and more uncertainty, with all the risks that will entail."

She will say that "the national interest is clear" and "the British people want us to get on with a deal that honours the referendum".

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson branded the Prime Minister's deal a "disaster" and a "humiliation" for the UK

 Boris Johnson branded the Prime Minister's deal a "disaster"
AFP/Getty Images

In his regular Daily Telegraph column, he said: "The other EU countries have signed the deal immediately, because they know that they have us exactly where they want us.

"We are a satellite state - a memento mori fixed on the walls of Brussels as a ghastly gaping warning to all who try to escape."

More than 80 Tories have rejected the deal, with opposition parties - and Mrs May's allies in the DUP - also set to oppose it.

DUP leader Arlene Foster (right) and deputy leader Nigel Dodds are among those to speak out against the deal
PA Wire/PA Images

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, deputy DUP leader Nigel Dodds demanded the Government go back to the negotiating table "rather than waste any more time putting forward false choices".

"We are heading under this deal for Brexit in name only or the break-up of the United Kingdom," he warned.

"The tragedy is that it is all so utterly unnecessary."

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt insisted Mrs May could carry on as Prime Minister if she was defeated.

Jeremy Hunt has said the PM could stay on in her role even if her deal is rejected by the Commons (REUTERS)
Reuters

"Absolutely she can," he told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show.

Pressed on whether the Government could collapse, he acknowledged: "It's not possible to rule out anything."

Mr Corbyn said the deal "is the result of a miserable failure of negotiation that leaves us with the worst of all worlds".

At a press conference in Brussels, Mrs May refused to be drawn on whether she would stand down if she lost the vote, despite being repeatedly pressed on the subject.

"I am focusing on ensuring that I make a case for this deal to MPs," she said.

Meanwhile, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker led the warnings there could be no return to the negotiating table if the deal - comprising the Withdrawal Agreement and the Political Declaration of future EU-UK relations - was rejected.

"This is the deal. It's the best deal possible and the EU will not change its fundamental position when it comes to these issues," he said.

"Those who think by rejecting the deal that they would have a better deal will be disappointed in the first seconds after the rejection of this deal."

Irish premier Leo Varadkar said: "There isn't a plan B. What's being put in front of EU Parliament and House of Commons is a deal.

"Any other deal really only exists in people's imagination."

Additional reporting by PA.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in