May defends Brexit plan as ministers set out rival alternatives

Theresa May is battling to maintain Cabinet discipline as senior ministers set out rival plans for dealing with the rejection of her Brexit plan.

The prime minister insisted the government was focused on getting her deal through Parliament despite Andrea Leadsom and Amber Rudd speculating about what might happen if MPs throw out the Withdrawal Agreement in January.

Commons Leader Mrs Leadsom said a “managed no-deal” was a possibility, while Work and Pensions Secretary Ms Rudd acknowledged there was a “plausible argument” for a second referendum.

Mrs May said: “Cabinet ministers and I have all been very clear that we are working and focusing on working on ensuring that we can get the deal that we’ve agreed with the EU agreed and through Parliament in the meaningful vote.”

At a press conference alongside her Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki, Mrs May said the UK was still seeking “greater political and legal reassurances” from the EU over elements of her plan, particularly the backstop measures designed to prevent a hard border with Ireland, before it is put before MPs in January.

She added: “Everybody is very clear not only what government policy is but what we are all individually and collectively focused on is working to ensure that that deal is able to be agreed by and go through a meaningful vote in the House of Commons.”

Mr Morawiecki said he hoped the Withdrawal Agreement would be adopted.

The Commons showdown over Mrs May’s plan is expected in the week beginning January 14 after being postponed earlier this month because Downing Street feared it would suffer a heavy defeat.

In a sign of a shift in Whitehall’s approach, a no-deal Brexit is now no longer described as an “unlikely” event in a series of documents on preparing for the March 29 2019 withdrawal date.

Mrs May’s official spokesman said it was still the government’s position that the “most likely outcome” was for Britain to leave the EU with a deal.