UK Prime Minister Theresa May said Wednesday night that she has successfully secured support from her cabinet for a deal she described as “the result of thousands of hours of hard negotiation with EU officials.”
“I firmly believe with my head and heart that this decisive choice is in the best interests of the entire UK,” she added.
In a sign that not everyone in the five-hour meeting at 10 Downing Street was on board, she said it was a “collective” decision, not a unanimous one.
May’s next fight will be with members of parliament, many of whom expressed indignation at the agreement before it was even published. In her brief statement on Wednesday night, May said she will be addressing parliament on Thursday.
Judging from Twitter, no one except for the EU’s Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt, is happy with the deal.
While I hope one day the UK will return, in the meantime this agreement will make a #Brexit possible, while maintaining a close relationship between the EU and UK, a protection of citizens rights and the avoidance of a hard Irish border. pic.twitter.com/ZAS152JNXO
— Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) November 14, 2018
Reactions from British lawmakers and the general public ranged from Brexiteer demands that the deal be scrapped to calls for a new referendum to reverse the Brexit vote, with very little in between.
Do you think that #Brexit is:
A. Delivering what was promised (lots of money saved that would go to the #NHS, new&easy #trade deals, no job losses, ability for Britain to ignore common European rules, etc)
B. Bears no resemblance to what was promised and should be ditched
— Richard Corbett (@RCorbettMEP) November 14, 2018
Dismayed, disgusted. MPs get your letters in. The only way to save #Brexit is a new leader. The fight continues..
— Andrea Jenkyns MP (@andreajenkyns) November 14, 2018
After a pack of spin and false claims – the PM concedes herself this is NOT a two way choice between her “deal” – and no deal. She says it could also mean NO #Brexit – all the more reason why it’s time for a @peoplesvote_uk #FinalSay for the public – with #Remain on the ballot.
— Stephen Doughty MP / AS (@SDoughtyMP) November 14, 2018
The final page of the 585-page withdrawal agreement contains a bit of a shocker. #brexit pic.twitter.com/SLqch4lPvk
— Michiel van Hulten (@mvanhulten) November 14, 2018