Michel Barnier Writes Letter to Remainers for Brexit Extension

by Louise Mclean

Michel Barnier has written a letter to Britain's opposition remainer parties (except Labour) appealing for a two year extension to the Brexit transition period, which is due to come to an end on 31st December this year.  Barnier wrote his letter to the SNP, LibDems, Plaid Cymru, SDLP, Green Party and Alliance Party, after they had written to him on 15th May asking for one.  Barnier's letter is very calm and very reasonable, hiding the fact that he is in fact a ruthless operator.

It has gone largely unreported, except on Twitter, that LibDem MP, Sir Ed Davey, has tabled a Private Members Bill, presented to Parliament on 20th May, which has had its first reading.  This Bill calls for a two year extension and to repeal the prohibition for such an extension, which was put in place last December!  The treacherous remainers in Parliament are at work again! The second reading of this Bill will be on 12th June 2020.

An extension has to be agreed by the Joint Committee, which must also state the financial contribution to be paid by the UK.

The final deadline date to agree an extension of the transition period is 1st July 2020 and it is looming fast!  However, Boris Johnson's spokesman has emphatically said no to any extension and that we will be leaving the EU finally on 31st December.

During talks this year, the EU has been implacable and has been refusing to compromise in its negotiating stance. David Frost, our chief negotiator has said the EU must change its position, if a trade agreement is to be reached. He is frustrated at the way the EU will not drop its various demands and thinks the UK is being treated as 'unworthy' of a decent trade deal, compared to those done with other countries. He said: "We find it perplexing that the EU, instead of seeking to settle rapidly a high quality set of agreements with a close economic partner, is instead insisting on additional, unbalanced and unprecedented provisions in a range of areas, as a precondition for agreement between us."

It is 100% clear that the EU will do anything in its power to keep us in the Bloc, as a vassal state or colony with no powers whatsoever.  That is their goal and they are using the spineless, foolish remain parties to achieve it.  The leaders of those parties are too short sighted to realise that Britain would be liable for billions of pounds, up to £300 billion by some estimates, to help bail out other EU member states due to the financial crash of the pandemic.  The EU is proposing a £670 bailout recovery fund for member states which are currently either in recession or going into one. We simply should not put ourselves in that position by extending the transition after 31st December.

There is also the question of the media witch hunt against Dominic Cummings for apparently breaking lock down rules, despite the fact that Stephen Kinnock, Ian Blackford and Neil Ferguson did the same.   As Cummings is Chief Advisor to Boris Johnson, a fierce Brexiteer and determined to help deliver the will of the people at the last Election, he is fair game for attack.  We are now expecting the same treatment for David Frost, who so far has been very strong in declaring there will be no extension.

Make no mistake, there will be plenty of drama between now and the end of June regarding a push for an extension to the Brexit transition period and I sincerely hope that Boris Johnson, David Frost, Michael Gove and Dominic Cummings all hold firm and refuse one or there will be millions of very angry British people to deal with, myself included!

The next significant meeting to discuss the trade deal with the EU will be held on 1st June.