The LIBERAL Democrats will vote against a Brexit deal, the party's leader has confirmed.
Ed Davey MP said all 11 MPs will not support the EU (Future Relationship) Bill going through Parliament tomorrow.
He explained the deal was "threadbare" and was "bad for jobs, business, security, and our environment”.
Mr Davey said: "It is clear that this is a bad deal that will make people’s lives poorer, so the Liberal Democrats will vote against it.
“This botched deal leaves the services sector in limbo and is the only ‘free’ trade deal in history to put up barriers and increase red tape, bringing long delays and higher costs.
“We all are desperate to move forward, to see our country united again, to restore our economy and our communities after a terrible year. Even by his own low standards, Boris Johnson’s deal just makes that more difficult.
“The only way forward is to agree an adjustment period to ease the pain for businesses and quickly get to repairing the UK’s damaged relationships with our most important international partners.”
The party has put forward an amendment, now being considered by the Speaker, which criticises the Bill for erecting "non-tariff barriers on businesses, ending the UK’s participation in Erasmus and mutual recognition of professional qualifications, depriving the UK’s financial services sector of passporting rights, and cutting off the UK police from direct access to EU-wide law enforcement databases."
Willie Rennie, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, added: “With our long track record of advocating membership of the European Union people won’t be surprised that the Liberal Democrats can’t support the Conservative Government’s strategy on Brexit and the last-minute trade deal they reached.
"The Liberal Democrats will vote to refuse consent to the Future Relationship Agreement Bill as we think the trade deal is bad for jobs, business, our environment and our way of life. It’s probably the first trade deal in the world that erects more trade barriers.
"It is a warning for those who advocate independence that breaking up long term economic partnerships is painful and costly. We should not repeat those mistakes of Brexit with independence.”
It comes after the SNP announced on Sunday it would also be rejecting the Bill, prompting criticism from the Conservatives that the party was voting for a no-deal exit from the EU in that case.
SNP MPs have repeatedly denied this is what their rejection of the Bill means, however this has been challenged by both Labour and the Scottish Conservatives.
Earlier today Douglas Ross, the MP for Moray and Scottish Tories leader, tweeted: “Despite her own warnings earlier this month, Nicola Sturgeon's MPs will be voting tomorrow for a No Deal Brexit.”
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