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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/dec/05/brexit-betrayal-would-damage-society-philip-hammond-tells-mps
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| Brexit betrayal would damage society, Philip Hammond tells MPs | Brexit betrayal would damage society, Philip Hammond tells MPs |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A betrayal of the Brexit vote would have far-reaching consequences for the social fabric of Britain that would outweigh the economic cost of leaving the EU, Philip Hammond has told MPs. | A betrayal of the Brexit vote would have far-reaching consequences for the social fabric of Britain that would outweigh the economic cost of leaving the EU, Philip Hammond has told MPs. |
| In an admission from a senior government figure that Brexit is a political calculation rather than one that will benefit the economy, the chancellor said that Theresa May’s deal allowed the country to “move on” without large swathes of Britain feeling as though they had been betrayed. | |
| Brexit: MPs rail against backstop plans in second day of debate on May's deal – Politics live | |
| Speaking to MPs on the Commons Treasury committee ahead of next week’s vote on the prime minister’s withdrawal agreement, the chancellor said that supporting the deal would allow Britain to “accept that, in a rather British way, we have made a compromise solution and moved on”. | Speaking to MPs on the Commons Treasury committee ahead of next week’s vote on the prime minister’s withdrawal agreement, the chancellor said that supporting the deal would allow Britain to “accept that, in a rather British way, we have made a compromise solution and moved on”. |
| He added: “Any solution which left the country divided, left a large segment of the population betrayed, in my view would have a negative political and societal impact which would far outweigh the very small economic impact [of May’s deal].” | He added: “Any solution which left the country divided, left a large segment of the population betrayed, in my view would have a negative political and societal impact which would far outweigh the very small economic impact [of May’s deal].” |
| Hammond’s comments come after a string of official studies published by the Bank of England and the government revealed that the UK economy would be better off under a remain scenario, striking a blow to May’s Brexit plan. | Hammond’s comments come after a string of official studies published by the Bank of England and the government revealed that the UK economy would be better off under a remain scenario, striking a blow to May’s Brexit plan. |
| Her deal has united opponents of both Brexit and the EU, with the likely consequence that it will be voted down by MPs next Tuesday with just over 100 days until the deadline for leaving the EU. | |
| Hammond warned it would likely be catastrophic for both the economy and British politics if the country remained mired in the Brexit debate for months or years longer. | |
| Any solution which left the country divided … would have a negative political and societal impact' | Any solution which left the country divided … would have a negative political and societal impact' |
| He said the country needed to move on from the damage being inflicted by the uncertainty and intense focus on Brexit in Westminster: “We have to resolve this so that we can go back to rolling out the latest technologies, to supporting our businesses to grow, to focusing on up-skilling and all other things that we need to do.” | He said the country needed to move on from the damage being inflicted by the uncertainty and intense focus on Brexit in Westminster: “We have to resolve this so that we can go back to rolling out the latest technologies, to supporting our businesses to grow, to focusing on up-skilling and all other things that we need to do.” |
| Hammond made his comments after the Labour MP Wes Streeting, who sits on the Treasury committee, asked the chancellor whether it was time for the government to be “upfront with the public” about the cost of Brexit. | |
| He said leave-voting constituents only heard talk of “minimising damage” from the government and remain voters only saw the UK becoming poorer: “They don’t hear a vision for a brighter future outside the European Union, they just see the UK making compromises economically to achieve a political objective.” | He said leave-voting constituents only heard talk of “minimising damage” from the government and remain voters only saw the UK becoming poorer: “They don’t hear a vision for a brighter future outside the European Union, they just see the UK making compromises economically to achieve a political objective.” |
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