SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Theresa May’s government is closer to reaching a deal on Brexit than people think, said UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Friday (Jan 4).
“I think we are perhaps closer to getting a deal than many people appreciate although we had some difficulties in parliament just before Christmas,” Mr Hunt said in an exclusive interview with Channel NewsAsia’s Conversation With.
“The reality is that the agreement with the European Union is 585 pages and there’s really only one issue that is giving difficulty to the parliamentarians, which relates to the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland,” he added.
Mr Hunt is in Singapore on a two-day official visit.
With fewer than 100 days to go until Britain must leave the European Union, it is still unclear if parliament will agree to pass Mrs May’s EU divorce deal.
Many UK lawmakers – including those from the ruling Conservative Party – remain deeply hostile to the agreement and have threatened to oppose the deal in a parliamentary vote scheduled for the week starting Jan 14.
READ: What next if UK MPs reject Brexit deal?
If the Bill fails to pass, the prospect of the UK leaving the union without an exit treaty or any transition arrangements is more likely, and Britain’s future political, economic and social relations with the EU will hang in the balance.
The UK is scheduled to leave the EU at 11pm local time on Mar 29.
Anti-Brexit protestors gather outside Downing Street, on Whitehall in central London, Britain January 2, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
Mr Hunt sought to downplay the possibility of the deal falling through.
He said: “It’s going to be heavy pounding for the next few weeks but … the history of negotiations with the EU is that often things are sorted out at the last minute at 4 o’clock in the morning.
“I don’t think anyone wants the disruption that would come from not having a deal.”
Prime Minister May has said a second referendum would be a “gross betrayal” of British democracy AFP/HO
While opposition lawmakers hope to reject the withdrawal deal and force a second referendum that could completely stop Brexit, Mr Hunt reiterated that this will not be on the cards. A second referendum would go against the people’s will and “threaten the core of (Britain’s) democracy”, he said.
“The British people have already decided what they want to do in one referendum. They’ve told us that they want to leave the EU and in particular they want to gain control, full control of our laws, our borders,” said the foreign secretary.
“The political class in Britain did not take people’s concerns particularly about immigration as seriously as they wanted … if that same political class were to see it to unpick Brexit through another referendum, I think that would make people very angry indeed,” he added.
READ: Commentary: Britain’s Brexit process approaches roller coaster endgame
UK INFLUENCE IN ASIA
A few days ago, UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson caused a stir after stating that the UK could become a “true global player” post-Brexit by opening new military bases in the Caribbean and Far East. Some commentators have suggested that this might include military bases in Southeast Asia such as in Singapore.
When asked if he had discussed that possibility with the Singapore government on his visit here, Mr Hunt avoided giving any answer on whether that specific issue had been raised.
“I think what (UK Defence Secretary) Gavin Williamson was saying is that we intend to increase our commitment to the security of Asia in the years that lie ahead and part of the opportunity of Brexit is for Britain to rediscover some of its global links that perhaps we haven’t put much focus and energy on in the past,” Mr Hunt added.
READ: Commentary: Brexit is bringing the UK back to Southeast Asia. Will Asian countries buy it?
The foreign secretary also said Great Britain supports a “rules-based international order” – a phrase which some foreign policy analysts said is often used to hit out at China due to its involvement in South China Sea tensions.
The South China Sea is the second-busiest sea lane in the world, and is the subject of a simmering territorial dispute among the Philippines, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and Brunei.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague unanimously found in favour of the Philippines against China in the disputed waters. China refused to recognise the ruling.
The dispute has also taken much wider international overtones with the United States and many of its Western allies arguing that there are fundamental freedom of navigation and “rules-based international order” issues at stake.
When asked if the UK wanted to compete with China and the US in having influence in Asia, the UK foreign secretary said: “I wouldn’t use the word compete. I want us to play our role … We’re not a superpower but by the same merit, if we don’t want to overestimate our own strength and influence, we shouldn’t underestimated it either and I think countries all over the world look to Great Britain to play a positive role in upholding and supporting a rules-based international order.”
READ: Britain can punch above its weight even after Brexit: Foreign Secretary
“I VERY MUCH DOUBT THAT”: HUNT ON BEING NEXT PM
In recent weeks, as criticisms mounted against Prime Minister May’s leadership during the Brexit crisis, British media have touted Mr Hunt as her potential successor.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt leaves Downing Street in London on Dec 18, 2018. (Photo: Reuters/Henry Nicholls)
Before becoming foreign secretary in July, Mr Hunt had served as the UK’s health secretary for six years.
When asked about the possibility of him becoming the next prime minister, Mr Hunt said: “I very much doubt that.”
He added: “(Prime Minister May) is doing a very difficult job right now. It is me and my colleagues’ jobs to be supporting her rather than speculating about who will replace her.”
Watch the full interview on Conversation With on Monday, Jan 7 at 7pm SIN/HK.
