Home
/
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
/
Explainer: Theresa May’s ‘New Brexit Deal’
Explainer: Theresa May’s ‘New Brexit Deal’
Jun 30, 2026 12:53 PM

Over the weekend, Theresa May’s cross-party Brexit negotiations collapsed, but their worst ideas live on.

At 4 p.m. London time, Prime Minister May unveiled the terms of what she calls a “bold” effort to pass her Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB). She condensed her “new Brexit deal” into 10 points:

Our NewBrexitDeal makes a 10-point offer to everyone in Parliament who wants to deliver the result of the referendum:

The government will seek to conclude alternative arrangements to replace the backstop by December 2020, so that it never needs to be mitment that, should the e into force, the government will ensure that Great Britain will stay aligned with Northern Ireland;The negotiating objectives and final treaties for our future relationship with the EU will have to be approved by MPs;A new workers’ rights bill that guarantees workers’ rights will be no less favorable than in the EU;There will be no change in the level of environmental protection when we leave the EU;The UK will seek as close to frictionless trade in goods with the EU as possible while outside the single market and ending free movement;We will keep up to date with EU rules for goods and agri-food products that are relevant to checks at border protecting the thousands of jobs that depend on just-in-time supply chains;The government will bring forward a promise for MPs to decide on to break the deadlock;There will be a vote for MPs on whether the deal should be subject to a referendum; andThere will be a legal duty to secure changes to the political declaration to reflect this new deal.

All of mitments will be guaranteed in law – so they will endure at least for this parliament.

May declared, “If MPs vote against the second reading of this bill, they are voting to stop Brexit.”

The biggest news is that May dropped her opposition to the possibility of a second referendum, which its supporters dub a “People’s Vote.” There is no majority in Parliament for a second referendum, and May has not promised a free vote. That has led Liberal Democrats to maintain their opposition.

The bill attempts to appeal to Labour Party members while foreclosing the possibility of a no-deal Brexit, favored by many members of her own Conservative Party. But Labour MPs, who favor a permanent customs union, reject May’s promise” offer of a vote on “a temporary customs union.”

The WAB still maintains the possibility that the entire UK will remain subject to EU rule from Brussels in perpetuity, if both sides can find no solution to the Irish border.

The requirement that MPs approve all future “negotiating objectives” in advance has been described as “May essentially trying to let Parliament tie her successor’s hands” by Mail on Sunday deputy political editor Harry Cole. Roughly two-thirds of current MPs voted Remain.

“There’s nothing new or bold about this bad buffet of non-Brexit options,” said former Conservative Party leader Ian Duncan Smith.

Most of the “bold, new” proposals had been offered before Jeremy Corbyn wrote the cross-party talks had “gone as far as they can” on Friday. He cited the government’s “weakness and instability,” as well as the possibility of “importing chlorinated chicken” from the U.S.

A significant change is May’s attempt to woo Labour MPs by promising to “keep up to date with EU rules” and that “workers’ rights will be no less favorable than in the EU.”

Beneath this laden language is the reality that the Conservative government agreed to trade all the potential benefits of Brexit: the ability to control its own regulatory environment to create a better and more dynamic economy. It cannot eliminate regulations and create a more attractive business environment, to Brussels’ and Corbyn’s delight. Nor can it choose a similar level of prised of different rules that better fit its unique domestic situation.

The UK leaving its historic role as a brake on EU centralization, just as Emmanuel Macron promises an “ambitious” agenda and Guy Verhofstadt dream of a new European empire, assures the red tape will multiply exponentially.

British subjects e rule-takers, unable to enjoy either the benefits of full membership or the independence to chart their own economic course.

This was always going to be the UK’s fate, under May’s plan, until the contentious issue of the Irish backstop gets settled. (Brussels and Belfast both understand that the matter is settled.) May’s genius came in selling the arrangement to Labour MPs as a way of locking in economic regimentation.

Her plan shipwrecked because from Corbyn’s vantage point on the far-Left, the EU’s statism looks like neoliberalism. Corbyn demanded a promise that UK labor legislation is more exacting than EU regulations. In her speech, May vowed “to assure that UK workers’ rights are always as good as, or better than, EU rules.” But the fourth point says that labor regulations “will be no less favorable” than the EU. It is unclear which language will be codified; Mayhas not promised to make the WAB’s full text available before the Whitsun recess. Parliament will vote on the bill during the week of June 3, causing the vote to coincide with President Donald Trump’s state visit for the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

Short term, Corbyn wants the WAB to explicitly state the UK can hold to more stringent labor and welfare standards than the EU. Long term, he wants to move the UK further Left than the EU will allow and for May’s government to collapse. Backing out of the cross-party talks moves him closer to both ends.

Brexiteers including Jacob Rees-Mogg have signaled they will oppose the deal, both because of previous broken promises and the unspoken reality that the party will soon have a new leader. May agreed during her latest meeting with the 1922 Committee that she will set a timetable for stepping down as prime minister after the vote, win or lose. They hope for a more forthright advocate of Brexit to seize all the opportunities for growth, independence, and innovation it offers, including its ratification of the principle of subsidiarity. (Hence, the importance of binding her sucessor’s hands.)

At least 11 MPs who supported the bill during the third meaningful vote have changed their minds. One such Tory now predicts the bill will fail by 150 votes. At this point, the bill looks poised to fail by historic margins exceeded only by … itself.

The June vote looks like May’s D-Day.

Theresa May has tried every conceivable method of making this pottage palatable, short of improving its ingredients. She – and the UK – could have fared better by trusting the wisdom of UK voters, the capacity of the free market, and the promise of independence instead of deceptive negotiators abroad and faux bipartisanship at home.

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
Biased in Favor of the Entrepreneur State
Yesterday I argued that since bias is inherent in institutions and neutrality between individual and social spheres is illusory we should harness and direct the bias of institutions towards a free and virtuous society characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles. One of the ways we can do that in the economic realm, I believe, is to encourage a bias toward entrepreneurship and away from corporatism. As Derek Thompson, a senior editor at The Atlantic, says, “It would...
Event: A Call for Religious Freedom
On Thursday, March 1 at 7pm, Acton Institute president Rev. Robert Siricowill speak about the implications of the recent mandate for religious organizations handed down by the Health and Human Services Department of the federalgovernmentunder the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Rev. Sirico will explain the mandate and the February 2012 revision of that mandate, as well as the Constitutional protections for religion and conscience in the United States. The implications for Catholic hospitals, Christian schools, and all faith-based organizations...
Commentary: Human Excellence and the Moral Life
After 50-plus years of social unraveling, many reformers still see the “therapeutic model” as a cure for what ails American society. Or would a return to the classical virtues, as a means of healing first the person and then the culture, be the way of renewal? Rev. Gregory Jensen offers some thoughts in this week’s Acton Commentary (published Feb. 22), spurred by the reading of Charles Murray’s new book, Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960–2010. The full text...
Journal of Markets & Morality 14.2
Beroud, Louis (1852–1930) Central Dome of the World Fair in Paris 1889The newest edition of the Journal of Markets & Morality is now available online to subscribers. This issue of the journal (14.2) is actually a theme issue on Modern Christian Social Thought. Accordingly, all ten articles engage the history and substance of various approaches to Modern Christian Social Thought, with special emphasis on the Reformed and Roman Catholic traditions. There is also another installment of our Controversy section, featuring...
Acton Alum Has a New Bestseller on Making a Free and Virtuous Society
Indivisible, a new book co-written by former Acton research fellow Jay Richards, has e a best-seller. From the book’s description: In Indivisible, James Robison, the founder and president of LIFE Outreach International, partners with Jay Richards, Ph.D., a writer who has appeared in both theNew York TimesandThe Washington Post. Together, they tackle tough, controversial political issues facing conservative Christians today, including abortion, stem cell research, education, economics, health care, the environment, judicial activism, marriage, and others. Written to appeal to...
Productivity Starts at Home
How much is a homemaker worth? Financial pany Investopedia recently added up what it would cost to hire someone to do cooking, cleaning, child care, driving, laundry, and lawn service equivalent to a full-time homemaker. The pensation would total $96,261. Studies like this one are perennial, as Greg Forster notes, and have been around since at least the 1950s. But whilethe intentions are well-meaning, such studieshave a tendency to reinforce materialistic assumptions about the nature of human relationships in both...
Gleaner Tech #2: The Global Village Construction Set
[Note: This is the second in an occasional series ongleaner technology.] The Global Village Construction Setis a collection of 40 machines needed to “create a small civilization with forts…like a life-size Lego set.” ...
Happiness is Subjective
One of the conclusions from last mentary was that the government shouldn’t be in the business of promoting a particular vision of the good life in America. That’s not to say that the government doesn’t have some role in promoting mon good or making some normative judgments about the good life. But it shouldn’t get anywhere near the level of specificity of promising a family, home, college education, and retirement for all. In part this is because while moral good...
Since Christ Died for Us
Yesterday my son asked me why today is called “Ash Wednesday.” In that question I could hear the echoes of another question, “Since Christ has died for us, why do we still have to die?” The latter question is found in the Heidelberg Catechism, and the brief but poignant answer has stuck with me since I first encountered it. First, the catechism clarifies that our death does not have redemptive power: “Our death does not pay the debt of our...
Religious Freedom and the HHS Mandate
Matthew Schmitz over onFirst Thoughtsposted a great article by Peter Berger sharing Peter’s thoughts on the recent HHS controversy. Peter gets at what is really the heart issue here. Though there is fierce debate ensuing about contraception, religious freedom is at the heart of the matter. Peter Berger, the eminent sociologist of religion at Boston University and longtime friend of First Things, offers his readers at the American Interest some background on the HHS controversy, the cobelligerence of Catholics and...
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved