Ministers plot softer Brexit to keep UK in single market
london — Some of Theresa May’s most senior ministers are working to moderate her plans for a hard Brexit, even suggesting the UK could remain in Europe’s single market and customs union, as the prime minister fights to stay in power.
After her election gamble backfired, May is now so weak and reliant on the support of political rivals inside and outside her Conservative Party that she’ll be unable to force through her vision of a clean break with the European Union, according to three senior government officials.
In a sign that a fresh clash over Europe is looming among the Tories, Brexit secretary David Davis said it’s “pretty plain” the government wants to control the UK’s borders and laws, which means leaving the single market and customs union while trying to negotiate a new trade deal.
“We spent 10 months devising that strategy,” he told ITV.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond is said to be positioning himself as the chief advocate of a softer Brexit. He told May he would only agree to serve in her cabinet if she gave him more influence over the withdrawal negotiations, according to one person familiar with the matter who declined to be named citing confidential discussions.
A senior minister said the fact May intends to rely on Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party means she could be forced to keep Britain in the EU’s customs union, as well as the single market. Another minister said pro-European Tories would be emboldened to make the case for a softer deal with the EU that prioritises the interests of businesses.
“It’s very hard to see how a hard or disruptive Brexit can come out of this,” Tony Travers, professor of politics at London School of Economics, said in an interview. — Bloomberg