Withdrawal agreement is 'fundamentally flawed' argues Northampton South MP ahead of crucial vote

Andrew Lewer's piece for the Brexit Central website, which was published today, has labelled the Prime Minister's withdrawal agreement as 'fundamentally flawed'.

MPs are set to vote on the Brexit deal at around 8pm tonight following a day of debate.

Predictions are that Theresa May's 585-page agreement will lose out badly in the ballot - through the Prime Minister believes her deal will tackle border control while maintaining a close relationship with our European neighbours.

Mr Lewer, MP for Northampton South, states in the article: "The lesson is clear: we need to vote down the Withdrawal Agreement by as large a majority as possible.

"Only then can we move on and either negotiate a new agreement (as David Davis argued at the weekend) or leave without a deal on World Trade Organisation terms with a view to later negotiating a new relationship."

Mr Lewer said the agreement did not 'respect the result of the referendum' and failed to tackle issues around the Irish border. He also said that plans to remain in the Customs Union would be a breach of the 2017 Conservative Manifesto.

"The backstop drives a regulatory barrier down the Irish Sea, severely damaging the Union and moving Great Britain and Northern Ireland further apart," he added.

"This deal keeps the supremacy of the European Court over our own law and sells out the UK fishing industry, excluding them from any trade deal, and envisaging a deal where the Prime Minister trades away our fish in return for market access."

Northampton North MP Michael Ellis, on the other hand, is almost certain to vote with the embattled Prime Minister.

He spoke about his support for the deal in December.

He said: "We need to recognise this is a good deal. It delivers an end to the freedom of movement, it delivers an end to the European court rulings and it delivers an end to sending billions over to Brussels each year.

"It is up to people like me to sell what is on the table. We are here to explain that it does deliver."