I would appreciate the views of my constituents on what the Prime Minister has announced this morning. Please let me know by commenting on my Facebook post here: please be courteous and polite to each other!

Parliament is a febrile place this morning as the Government has announced its outline Brexit deal and several key ministers (including the Brexit Secretary) have resigned as a result.

I am typing this as I sit in the Commons listening to the PM. Already, it is clear that both Leave and Remain voters strongly oppose what the PM is proposing. The DUP (on whom the Government depends for a majority) are explicitly opposed.

Here’s a quick summary of my thoughts:

This deal feels like a failure after two years of botched negotiations. It is a template for a blind Brexit where we don’t know what the final outcome will be which won’t protect jobs, rights or the economy.

Whether you voted leave or remain – nobody voted for this.

Theresa May’s government is now in chaos and it is likely she will be deposed as Conservative Leader

Theresa May’s “deal” is in two parts – a withdrawal agreement that includes half-baked proposals for a backstop, and a political declaration that is incredibly vague and opens the gate to a hard Tory Brexit.

Taken together, this deal fails Labour’s tests and it is very likely we will vote against it.

This isn’t a document I can personally sign up to. It doesn’t protect jobs, rights and living standards. It’s asking MP’s to vote for a leap into the unknown. And it won’t reassure anyone.

I don’t accept the choice is between Theresa May’s deal or no deal. If the government’s half-baked Brexit deal is voted down, Labour will work across Parliament to block ‘no deal’.

Labour has set out a better Brexit plan to support our programme to upgrade the economy and invest in every community. That would safeguard jobs, rights and standards and bring power and investment back to our nations and regions.

Labour’s alternative unity plan to bring the country together includes:

– A new comprehensive and permanent customs union, with a British say in future trade deals. That would support businesses, jobs and the manufacturing supply chains they depend on.

– A strong single market relationship that allows British business continued access to vital European markets for both goods and services.

– A guarantee that our country doesn’t fall behind the EU in workers’ rights, or protections for consumers and the environment. We won’t let this Conservative Government use Brexit as an excuse for a race to the bottom in protections or rights at work.

You can read the full draft deal here, and consider how it might affect your employment, family or travel.

But the key question is: WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK OF THIS? Please let me know by commenting on my Facebook post here: be courteous and polite to each other!

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