THERESA May was accused by the SNP of being “frozen in failure” following her apparent lack of success in getting any Christmas concessions from Brussels on Brexit.
During the first PMQs of 2019, Ian Blackford, the Nationalist leader, told the Prime Minister: “The New Year began without concessions; the Dublin talks failed without concessions; the debate on her deal restarts today without concessions.
“This Prime Minister is frozen in failure, asking MPs to write a blank cheque for her blindfold Brexit,” declared the Highland MP.
Mrs May, as she repeated constantly through the 50 minutes of question-time, stressed how if people did not want a no-deal outcome, then they should back the only deal on the table: hers.
“He cannot get away from the fact that if he wants to avoid no-deal, he has to be willing to agree a deal. The deal that is on the table, which the EU has made clear is the only deal, is the one that the United Kingdom Government have negotiated with the European Union.
“If he really wants and is concerned about ensuring that we can look ahead to a bright future across the whole of the United Kingdom, he should back that deal,” insisted the PM.
Mr Blackford’s SNP colleague, Pete Wishart, was even more direct in his attack, telling Mrs May: “Parliamentary defeats are now a regular feature of the Prime Minister’s Government. She has lost a quarter of her Cabinet and 117 of her backbenchers want her gone.
“Her deal is as dead as the deadest dodo. How many more indignities can this Prime Minister endure before she realises that she is the biggest part of the problem? For goodness’ sake, just go!”
The PM hit back, stressing how the Conservative Government had negotiated a deal with the European Union that delivered on the 2016 referendum result.
She told the Perth MP: “I know he does not want to deliver on the referendum result. He wants to ensure that the UK stays inside the European Union, at the same time - talking about the economy - as he supports taking Scotland out of the Union of the United Kingdom, which is much more important economically for the people of Scotland. The people of Scotland know that remaining in the United Kingdom is their best future,” declared Mrs May.
Jeremy Corbyn stressed how MPs wanted to see "clear legal changes" to the Withdrawal Agreement as he accused Mrs May of "recklessly wasting time" and "holding the country to ransom with the threat of a no-deal".
The PM gave a nod to the pre-Christmas row which saw the Labour leader accused of muttering "stupid woman", a claim he denied, as she replied: "The only way to avoid no-deal is to vote for the deal, if he is uncertain about what I am saying perhaps I can give him a tip: he might like to use a lip-reader."
Mr Corbyn pressed further on getting guarantees from Mrs May about legal changes to the Brexit deal before listing concerns over no-deal raised by Cabinet ministers.
He said: "The £4.2 billion of public money is being wastefully allocated to no-deal planning. Will the Prime Minister listen to the clearly expressed will of the House last night, end this costly charade and rule out no-deal?"
The PM reiterated a deal must be backed to avoid a no-deal Brexit, noting: "He stands there complaining about money being spent on no-deal preparations.
"So, on Wednesday he's saying we shouldn't be spending money on no-deal preparations. On Monday, he said no-deal preparations were too little too late. He can't have it both ways; either we're doing too much or too little.”
Earlier, tributes were paid to the late former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown, who died from bladder cancer over Christmas aged 77. Layla Moran, the Lib Dem backbencher, paid her own tribute but was interrupted when Tory backbencher Andrew Bridgen shouted out: “From the grave,” drawing cries of "shame" from opposition MPs.
Following a Point of Order from Ms Moran and a prompt from Speaker Bercow, Mr Bridgen, who represents North West Leicestershire, rose to say: “I will apologise for my remarks if any offence was caused to any members of the House."
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