Royston Smith, MP for Southampton Itchen (Con), has said if the withdrawal agreement returns for a third vote, he’ll now, “without enthusiasm and with a heavy heart, vote for it”, having twice voted against the prime minister’s agreement.
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Last November he said : “Having read and analysed the document, I have concluded that I cannot in all good conscience support the proposed agreement in its current form.
“Whilst significant progress has been made on many of the key issues, I am unable to accept a temporary customs arrangement (union in all but name) that we cannot unilaterally withdraw from. To agree to this will be worse than staying in the EU, where we had the assurance of a unilateral withdrawal process. Handing over more sovereignty is precisely the opposite of what this country voted for on 23rd June 2016.”
But in a new statement before the indicative votes on Wednesday (March 27, 2019), Smith said while he had voted against the withdrawal agreement twice, he has now “reluctantly concluded that the best option for the United Kingdom is to support the Prime Minister’s Withdrawal Agreement”.
On the indicative votes he said: “Later this evening the House of Commons will be asked to vote on a number of options selected by the Speaker. All of these options, in my opinion, are worse than the Withdrawal Agreement. For those who want to leave without a deal, that option has gone. We will not be leaving on Friday and I am as disappointed about that as anyone. However if the Withdrawal Agreement is not passed we may not leave the European Union at all.”
Indicative votes
On eight alternative Brexit options presented to parliament on March 27, Smith voted in favour of leaving the EU without a deal on April 12, and in favour of “Seeking a tariff-free trade agreement with the EU that will last for two years, during which time Britain will contribute to the EU budget” - BBC. He voted against all other motions*.
To view the options and results in more detail on the Guardian website, and find out how other MPs voted, click here and search for constituency or MP . Click here if you prefer to use the BBC website .
* Source: Guardian/BBC