I have just read the PM's Brexit plan, and it has changed…. For the worse. Here are the big changes.
1) Workers rights binned: the key protections in clause 34 now dropped entirely. No clarity on when or what rights workers will have in law by December next year.
2) New December 2020 cliff edge enshrined in law. The new Clause 33 sets a new one year cliff edge for our manufacturers and jobs, damaging our economy.
3) No environment or consumer rights protections. All of Gove's promises of a Green Brexit are nowhere to be seen.
4) The trade deal process will now be conducted in secret, with the EU Parliament having more power and scrutiny than British MPs. What happened to taking back control?
5) The previous Clause 31, which I put forward with Gareth Snell, made Ministers publish their objectives, have a vote on them in Parliament, and a vote on the final deal. This has all been dropped, which sends an alarming signal about the secrecy of talks with Trump.
6) Most disgracefully, Boris has u-turned on the promises made to child refugees and EU citizens - who've made the UK their home. New provisions mean the watchdog can be axed at the stroke of a pen by Ministers.
