How Theresa May United Rival Factions Of MPs Against Her Brexit Deal
The key objections to May’s deal surround the Irish backstop, which maintains a free-flowing border between Northern Ireland and the Republic if the issue is not solved by a free trade deal.
Both Tories and the DUP fear the UK becoming trapped indefinitely in the arrangement, as there is no end date and no mechanism for the government to trigger an exit in the deal
Tories fear this would torpedo Britain’s ability to strike free trade deals around the world as the backstop involves an all-UK customs union with the EU, which had actually been a demand of the prime minister.
The DUP meanwhile are enraged that May broke her promise not to draw a de facto border down the Irish sea, as the backstop will mean extra checks on goods travelling between the UK mainland and a Northern Ireland which will be following some EU single market rules.
Different shades of Tory Brexiteer also have numerous other objections to the deal, including paying a £39billion divorce bill to the EU without any clear direction on the type of future trade relationship, and the (albeit-limited) role for the European Court of Justice in the UK after Brexit.