Theresa May faces 'STARK CONSEQUENCES' if UK stays in customs union, Tory MP warns
The worrying warning arrives a week after the Government suffered a defeat on its EU Withdrawal Bill at the hands of the House of Lords, with peers voted for amendments that aim at keeping the UK in a customs union with the EU after Brexit. Writing for The Telegraph, Tory MP for Lichfield Michael Fabricant warned Mrs May against giving in to the pressure posed by the unelected Lords. Drawing a parallel between the current political situation and the triumph of Ukip in the 2013 Eastleigh by-election, the politician argued that the Government should follow the will of the people or suffer “stark and inevitable” consequences. He wrote: “The EU Referendum in 2016 and its result has seen Ukip lose its purpose and wither on the vine.
GETTY Brexit news: Mr Fabricant said Brexit may no longer mean Brexit if the UK stays in the custom union
Theresa May recognises something which unelected peers do not: the vote to leave the EU was not a negative anti-European vote Michael Fabricant MP
“Its many erstwhile supporters have returned to the bosom of the Conservative Party.” But, Mr Fabricant argued, this may not last if the will of the people will be betrayed. Warning Brexit “may no longer mean Brexit”, the former Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party reminded readers that by remaining in the union, the withdrawal loses its meaning. The outcome of the EU referendum meant “being pragmatic, but also a sovereign nation again”, but remaining in the union will undermine this, he added. Mr Fabricant wrote: “The practical effect of remaining in the Customs Union leaves the UK with all the existing EU controls in place, but with less influence.”
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GETTY Brexit news: Mr Fabricant said the Conservative Party may suffer from remaining in the customs union