Britain Faces Difficult Choices on Move to Withdraw from EU

 

Lawmakers in Britain continue to argue over terms of its planned withdrawal¹ from the European Union (EU).

The main issue is how Britain will deal with the rest of Europe after the move, known as Brexit.

The EU is the country’s largest trading partner.

British officials want to secure the best possible terms for trade and for the city of London, which is a major financial center. However, the Conservative Party has yet to decide on many issues related to Brexit, especially those related to rules and trade.

Next week, Britain’s House of Commons, the lower house of parliament, will debate legislation for the withdrawal.

Lawmakers also will vote on amendments² passed by the House of Lords, parliament’s upper house. If approved, those measures would increase British ties to the EU.

Many Conservative lawmakers who support EU membership and opposition³ parties are expected to influence the upcoming votes.

Distrust of negotiations⁴ among Brexiters

Britain and the European Union opened negotiations soon after British voters decided⁵ to end their country’s membership. After the talks, the British side has been represented mainly by non-elected officials.

Critics say these officials are seeking to keep Britain’s ties to the EU in place.

Some people support a complete break with the rest of Europe. They are known as hard Brexiters.

They warn that Britain could be required to obey EU requirements and follow rulings by the European Court of Justice. That could happen if Britain remains⁶ a member of Europe’s customs union or keeps its Single Market. They also say Britain could be blocked from negotiating individual trade deals with non-EU countries as EU members are.

Supporters of hard Brexit are concerned Prime Minister Theresa May might be positioning Britain for such a “backdoor” membership in the EU. They note she has delayed publishing a report on the government’s proposals for Brexit.

And, some lawmakers are angry that May has not been open about negotiations on how the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland will be treated after Brexit. Ireland is an EU member. They say an “open” border policy could keep Britain closely tied to the EU.

May’s Cabinet is sharply divided over Brexit. Her finance minister, Philip Hammond, wants to keep close ties with the EU in the same way that Norway does. His position includes keeping Britain in the EU’s customs union and membership in the Single Market.

On the other side is foreign minister Boris Johnson and environment secretary Michael Gove, who support a clean break. They are seeking what they call a “global Britain,” one which can negotiate freely and is not closely tied to the EU.

The disagreements are so severe that negotiations have not made progress. There are concerns that conflicts within the cabinet could lead the Conservative government to break apart, forcing new elections.

That could bring the opposition Labour Party to power.

One Conservative official said of the difficult situation: “It has become a shambles⁷.”

I’m Mario Ritter.

Words in This Story

customs union – n. a general agreement on import and export taxes and policies that govern trade by a group of countries

shambles – n. a place or situation in which there is disorder⁸

global – adj. of or relating to the whole world

1 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

2 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 shambles   

n.混乱之处；废墟

参考例句：

• My room is a shambles.我房间里乱七八糟。
• The fighting reduced the city to a shambles.这场战斗使这座城市成了一片废墟。

8 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。