Brexit trade deal scrutinised in Wales and Westminster

Done deal - MPs as expected, voted through Boris Johnson's post-Brexit agreement

A Welsh Labour MP said he does not understand why anyone who thinks the Brexit trade agreement is a "bad deal" would vote in favour of it.

Kevin Brennan did not support the deal despite Labour leader Keir Starmer's call to "move on".

MPs overwhelmingly backed the deal which Boris Johnson said would allow trade "on the closest terms of friendship".

First Minister Mark Drakeford said "it's preferable to no deal".

Gower MP Tonia Antoniazzi has tweeted that she will abstain in the vote and will subsequently stand down from a shadow cabinet support position.

In her tweet, the Labour MP said: "Today I will be abstaining on the EU (Future Relationship) Bill and I have offered my resignation as PPS to the Shadow DWP & Scotland teams."

Addressing the Commons, Cardiff West MP Mr Brennan said he understood Labour leader Keir Starmer's call to "move on" and "build on this bad deal" but said it would "set Britain on a path that will damage it culturally and economically".

The basics

• A Brexit deal has been agreed, days before a deadline. It means that the UK and the EU can continue to trade without extra taxes being put on goods

• What took so long? The UK voted to leave the EU in 2016 and actually left on 31 January 2020, but leaders had until the end of 2020 to work out a trade deal

• There are big changes ahead. Although it's a trade deal that has been agreed, there will also be changes to how people travel between the EU and UK, and to the way they live and work

First Minister Mark Drakeford says the deal remains "difficult" for Wales

"I simply don't understand why it's necessary for those who believe this is a bad deal to vote for it and dip their fingertips in the indelible ink of this abject failure of national ambition," he said.

"I won't be voting for it."

Mr Drakeford, who represents Cardiff West in the Senedd, said the trade agreement is a "bad deal" but preferable to "no deal".

He told MSs in a special sitting of the Senedd: "This is a bad deal for business and businesses in Wales."

Trade with Wales' "largest and most important market" will become "more expensive and more difficult" with the UK no longer in the single market "meaning businesses will have to rely on 27 different sets of national rules", he added.

But Mr Drakeford said: "The Welsh Government has always argued that a deal was preferable to no deal.

"This thin and disappointing treaty is very different from what was promised but it is better than the bitterness and the chaos which would have followed a no deal."

The Conservatives' Brexiteer European Research Group have concluded this deal "preserves the UK's sovereignty as a matter of law".

This will likely see off any significant potential rebellion by backbench Tory Brexiteers.

So now the deal is likely to pass whether the opposition back it or not, because of the Conservative majority in the Commons, pressure is mounting on Labour.

Sir Keir Starmer faces a rebellion from some of his MPs over his decision to back the deal.

He's said the agreement does not do enough to protect jobs, workers' rights and the environment but wants Labour to back it because, he argues, the only alternative is a damaging no-deal exit from the EU single market and customs union on Thursday.

The Conservative Leader in the Senedd, Paul Davies, said he welcomed the deal, but took issue with the first minister's criticisms about the UK Parliament only being given a day to discuss and pass the relevant bill.

Mr Davies said: "I would remind him that we haven't even voted on his recent coronavirus regulations which have already been introduced so I'm not going to take any lectures on scrutiny from the Welsh Labour Government."

The Plaid Cymru leader, Adam Price, said Wednesday's events in the UK Parliament were ridiculous.

"The vote being held in Westminster today is a piece of pure political theatre," he said.

"It's not necessary to ratify the treaty as the executive can do that without parliamentary approval… The real rationale for today's parliamentary pantomime is to give Boris Johnson his moment of glory, and the mandate for what comes next."

Former Brexit Party MS, David Rowlands, said the deal was "not entirely satisfactory but it's better than no deal at all".

Mr Rowlands, who is now a member of the Independent Alliance for Reform group, said "only a fool" would under-estimate the ability of businesses to adapt to the deal.

'Immense damage'

In the Senedd, MSs voted 28-24 in favour of a Welsh Government motion noting the agreement between the UK government and the EU on their future relationship.

However, MSs were not asked to approve the deal as Welsh ministers argued that the text of the deal had only been provided to them at the last minute and it contains clauses which it said could be "capable of impacting on the devolution settlement".

The Welsh Government motion also accepted that the deal is less damaging than leaving the transition period without a trade deal.

Four Welsh Labour MPs defied Mr Starmer by abstaining.

Joining Ms Antoniazzi and Mr Brennan were Geraint Davies and Beth Winter.

All three Plaid Cymru MPs - Ben Lake, the party's leader in Westminster Liz Saville-Roberts and Hywel Williams - voted against the deal.

Ms Saville-Roberts said the deal was being "rammed through Parliament just to avoid proper scrutiny" and it will cause "immense damage".

Also opposing the deal was Independent MP Jonathan Edwards.

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