REDDITCH MP Rachel Maclean has voiced her support for Theresa May and her Brexit deal – and defended why she backed the ‘no deal’ option in Wednesday’s indicative votes in Parliament.
Friday, March 29, and Britain was meant to be leaving the EU. Instead an exhausted Mrs Maclean, along with the rest of the Commons, is still grappling with Brexit.
In the eight indicative votes of Wednesday she voted in favour of leaving the EU without a deal (defeated 400 votes to 160) and in favour of seeking preferential trade arrangements with the EU – effectively business as usual while everything is sorted out (defeated 422 votes to 139).
Commenting on the Brexit paralysis gripping Westminster she said that despite voting for ‘no deal’ she was still 100 per cent behind the one negotiated by the Prime Minister.
“My absolute preference is still for the withdrawal agreement,” she said.
She described the indicative voting, on eight possible options, as ‘not a valid process’ but felt it was her duty to take part and ‘voted for those measures which closely resembled the views of her constituents’.
“We have been thrown into this situation by extremists on both sides who have not been prepared to compromise at all,” she said.
On leaving without any deal, she said: “People talk about cliff edges, and there are risks in leaving without a deal but there are risks in everything in life.
“It’s unproductive to simply focus on the risks and refuse to do anything.
“I believe 5,000 people in Redditch have signed a petition calling for Article 50 to be revoked.
“But 28,000 people, nearly 29,000, voted to leave and they have not told me they have changed their minds.
“Respecting democracy is in the best interests of this country. Even if we argue over how this came about we will do more damage to our national interests and our constitutional settlement if we decide to overturn this.”
She added she had consistently voted for the PM’s deal.
“I have maintained we should leave with a deal and that seems to me to be the best compromise.
“I do not think it is right to say ‘we voted to leave and stuff those who did not’.”
On Mrs May decision to step aside if her deal is passed, she said: “I think she has done a characteristically selfless thing.
“She has been handed an impossible chalice but she took that decision in the national interest and she believes in achieving Brexit.
“I backed her in two confidence votes on her leadership and I would back her again.”
Britain is now scheduled to leave the EU on May 22 if a withdrawal agreement is passed or April 12 if it is not.
