Brexit deal summary: What does Theresa May's Brexit draft say? The key points
THERESA May issued a draft Brexit withdrawal agreement last week, prompting a storm of criticism and controversy. So what are the key points of the 585-page document?
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The UK is due to officially leave the EU at 11pm on March 29, 2019. After that, there will be a transition period for determining the future relationship which is set to run until December 2020. And following this, the UK and EU will be separate entities - but this all depends on getting a Brexit deal voted through the EU and UK Parliament.
What does the Brexit draft say?
IMMIGRATION
During the transition period, the EU’s free movement rules still apply, so EU citizens can come to live and work in the UK until December 2020 and people can come and go within the EU without a visa.
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Once the transition finishes, free movement ends and the UK can set its own immigration policy.
Any British people who take up residence elsewhere in the EU before that date will be allowed to stay there, as will Europeans who settle in Britain.
THE IRISH BORDER
Easily the most contentious negotiation point, the Irish border and how to prevent it become a hard border, or a sea border between the rest of the UK.
The deal contains a ‘backstop’ to prevent a hard border in Ireland and which would create a “single customs territory between the Union and the United Kingdom”.
The backstop is a backup plan: it will only kick in should Britain’s future relationship with the EU fail to keep the border open.
However, the UK isn’t able to end the backstop unilaterally, meaning it could keep the UK locked in a customs union with Brussels indefinitely.
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LAW
During the transition period, the UK will have to follow all EU rules and European Court of Justice (ECJ) rulings.
Should the backstop be triggered, disputes will be resolved by an arbitration panel made up of both sides – but interpretations of EU law are referred to the ECJ.
SECURITY
The UK will remain part of crucial European policing and security arrangements until December 2020, including EU databases of missing people, arrests, DNA, fingerprints and vehicle number plates.
The deal explicitly says the UK will be locked out of EU databases and systems at the end of 2020.
The two sides have said they need to come up with an agreement to keep current cooperation.
HEALTHCARE
The deal promises the continued supply of medicines until December 2020.
UK citizens’ rights to healthcare in the EU and vice versa will carry on until that date, but what happens after that has not been decided.
FOOD
The deal ensures that deliveries can be made without being delayed at the border until the end of the transition.
If the UK and EU fail to agree a long-term trade deal by then, the so-called customs backstop kicks in, which means that the UK would continue to be able to trade with the EU with no tariffs.
However, we would not be able to strike deals to lower tariffs with other countries outside the EU – at least not until an EU trade deal is negotiated and the backstop ceases to apply.
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ENVIRONMENT
The UK’s environmental laws will have to be at least on a par with the EU’s during the transition period.
The UK will have an independent environmental watchdog that can take the government to British courts.
FLIGHTS
The deal says that both sides intend to strike a “comprehensive air transport agreement”, allowing airlines to continue operating between Britain and the EU in a safe and commercially fair way.
FISHERIES
The agreement only states that “the Union and the United Kingdom shall use their best endeavours to conclude and ratify” an agreement in future.
The UK industry wants access to the European market, and the EU wants to make sure its fishing fleet has access to UK waters.