MPs have been wished a “Merry Brexmas” despite warnings Brexit will not be done in the new year.
During the debate on the second reading of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill, backbench Tory MP Rachel Maclean said: “I want to wish everybody a very Merry Brexmas.”
Former Cabinet Office minister and Remain voter Damian Green has urged MPs who also voted to stay in the EU to give up on their fight as “that game is over”.
READ MORE: Alister Jack - 'Boris Johnson will give careful consideration to indyref2 letter'
Mr Green said: “Those of us who voted for and campaigned for Remain should respect the result of the referendum.
“So to those of my friends on all sides of the House who up to now have not accepted the 2016 result, I would appeal that now, after this General Election result, please accept the decision, please let’s move on, please accept that that game is over.”
Labour’s Catherine McKinnell (Newcastle upon Tyne North) said the Conservative election slogan “Get Brexit Done” was misleading.
She added: “Brexit isn’t going to be done. The challenges of the next stage are infinitely more complex than the first.”
Matthew Pennycook, Labour MP for Greenwich and Woolwich, added: “There is no question it did its job, but after January 31 the slogan Get Brexit Done will be exposed as the fiction it is.
“Because when this Bill becomes law, as it will, it will not mean that Brexit is done, and every single honourable and right honourable member on the benches opposite who parrotted that line during the recent election campaign knows full well that is the case.
“Brexit is a process not an act and the passage of this legislation and the full implementation of the agreement by both parties is only the end of the beginning of that process and a prelude to a far more challenging phase of it.”
Ardent Brexiteer and chairman of the EU Scrutiny Committee in the last Parliament, Sir Bill Cash added that Brexit will be “a watershed moment in our history”.
Stating that remaining in the EU is “no good for this country”, Sir Bill added: “The reality is, Mr Speaker, that this is an historic moment – it compares to the decision that was taken when in 1660 the Cromwellian period was redefined, we came back into Parliamentary government.”
Sir Bill continued: “We have regained the right to govern ourselves.”
Delivering his maiden speech in the Commons, newly-elected SNP MP for Stirling Alyn Smith said today’s vote will go down in “infamy”.
He said: “This is a momentous day for some in this House. It is a day of deep sadness for many of us.
“I assure you today’s vote will live in infamy. It is not the end of Brexit. It’s the start of something far worse.”
READ MORE: Boris Johnson 'helps indyref2 bid by denying fresh poll'
Tory MP Mark Francois, the deputy chairman of the pro-Brexit European Research Group, made a festive appeal in the Commons.
The Rayleigh and Wickford MP said: “The people have spoken and we will listen. We will do what they want and when the sun rises on February 1 it will do so on a free country.
“All I want for Christmas is not EU.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel