Crunch time as PM seeks to unite cabinet on Brexit
LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May yesterday sought to finally unite her warring ministers behind a Brexit plan and unblock negotiations with the European Union, amid warnings she is running out of time to get a deal.
Less than nine months before Britain leaves the bloc, Ms May’s government has yet to set out exactly what it wants amid very public splits about how close to stay aligned to the EU’s rules.
The lack of progress has frustrated European leaders, who are stepping up preparations in case there is no agreement at all, and businesses who are being increasingly vocal about the risks to jobs and investment.
Ms May hopes to finally settle the issue during a daylong cabinet meeting at Chequers, the 16th-century manor house that serves as her official country retreat, before publishing a detailed blueprint for Brexit next week.
“The cabinet meets at Chequers today to agree the shape of our future relationship with the EU,” Ms May said in a statement.
During a visit to Berlin on Thursday she said an agreement would “enable the pace of the negotiations to increase”.
Ms May was visiting Chancellor Angela Merkel as part of a fortnight of diplomatic activity ahead of the Chequers meeting, which included talks with the bloc’s president Donald Tusk.
Agreeing a common position among her divided ministers is only one element of the Brexit process — the hardest part will be getting agreement from Brussels, which has repeatedly warned Britain to lower its expectations.
The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said last week he wanted to see “workable and realistic proposals”, while Mr Tusk said: “This is the last call to lay the cards on the table”.
Leaked proposals suggest Ms May will propose to keep and commit to future EU rules on trade in goods, an outcome intended in part to fulfil a pledge to avoid customs checks on the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
By contrast it will accept “reduced market access” for services — Britain’s dominant sector —in return for greater flexibility, reports suggest.
The plan caused outrage among eurosceptic MPs in May’s Conservative party, with one fuming that “this is not Brexit” and another saying it would leave Britain “out of Europe but still run by Europe”.
Ms May’s approach has in the past been challenged by Brexit-backing ministers in her government such as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.