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British Cabinet, lawmakers to review newly-reached Brexit deal

By Nicholas Sakelaris
British Prime Minister Theresa May faces opposition from all sides after reaching a preliminary Brexit deal with the European Union. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI
British Prime Minister Theresa May faces opposition from all sides after reaching a preliminary Brexit deal with the European Union. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Two and-a-half years after voters in the United Kingdom approved leaving the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May now has a provisional agreement.

Key areas that needed to be worked out were a financial settlement with the EU, the rights of EU citizens in Britain and a mechanism that prevents a hard Irish border.

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Both sides also want to avoid a hard border with Northern Ireland and customs checks for trade.

May will present the 500-page draft agreement to her cabinet Wednesday and, later, British Parliament. Both must agree to the terms of the deal.

The deadline for the U.K. exit is March 29.

May has promised to not only take Britain out of the E.U. but to remove it from the customs union, which would allow London to negotiate its own trade deals around the world.

May faces opposition from both ends of the political spectrum, with Labor Party members opposing any kind of Brexit deal, while the Conservative Party members say it doesn't go far enough.

Keeping Britain within the customs union has drawn fire from May's conservatives. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said May sold out the country.

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"This is just about as bad as it could possibly be," Johnson said. "What you've got is not only the U.K. remaining with the [EU] customs union forever and a day, so we can't really do free trade deals to take back control of our laws. We remain in a regulatory alignment with the EU, accepting EU rules but unable to shape them."

British lawmakers will likely vote on the deal next month.

Mujtaba Rahman, managing director of Europe at consulting firm Eurasia Group, said the entire movement has reached a "moment of truth."

"Even if May clears the Cabinet hurdle today, several ministers doubt that the proposal deal will get through the [House of ] Commons," Rahman said. "For now, the parliamentary number are heavily stacked against her."

The deal could be politically devastating for May if opponents call for a vote of no confidence.

If the Brexit deal is rejected or stalls, the EU could hold a special summit dedicated to the topic within the next two weeks.

The EU could also derail the deal, as France and other countries want to maintain a "level playing field."

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