British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal is the “worst of all worlds,” opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said in the House of Commons on Thursday.
His comments came soon after the publication of the political declaration on the framework for the U.K.’s future relations with the European Union.
“These 26 pages are a testament to the failure of the (Conservatives’) bungled negotiations. Nineteen extra pages but nothing has changed,” Corbyn said, adding that it fell short of his party’s tests to support the deal.
“It represents the worst of all worlds: no say over the rules that will continue to apply and no certainty for the future.”
Following her statement to Parliament, May was then forced to defend her deal from all sides of the political spectrum.
Sir Bill Cash, a Conservative Brexiteer and chair of the European scrutiny committee, said the document is “self-contradictory” as European judges would still have a role in deciding British laws.
Cash announced that the committee that he heads will now hold an inquiry into the government’s handling of the Brexit talks.
Several Brexit supporting lawmakers also called on May to remove the “backstop agreement” from the withdrawal agreement. The backstop is a safety net that has been put in place to ensure that no hard border is erected between the Republic of Ireland, which is staying in the European Union, and Northern Ireland, which will leave in March as part of the United Kingdom.
Sir Jeffery Donaldson, the Democratic Unionist Party’s (DUP) chief whip, said the backstop is unacceptable to his party. Without the support of the DUP, May would likely fail to get parliamentary approval for her withdrawal deal when a vote is held at some point in December.
