May under fire for silencing Cabinet critics
THERESA MAY has been accused of silencing Eurosceptics while allowing her pro-european Business Secretary to resurrect “Project Fear” over plans for a post-brexit customs partnership with the EU.
Greg Clark, the Business Secretary, suggested that 3,500 jobs at Toyota could be at risk if the Prime Minister bowed to pressure from other Cabinet members and dropped the plans.
Eurosceptic ministers thought they had “killed off” the plan after a meeting of the Brexit “war cabinet” last week amid concerns that it would lead to Britain staying in the customs union.
However, Mr Clark said it was still “on the table”, adding that he felt “very strongly” and was “clear-eyed” about the need to protect jobs after Brexit. He suggested that a transition period on customs could be extended until 2023.
Within minutes of his comments the CBI group of business leaders, which is campaigning for Britain to stay in the customs union, sent out supportive comments. Amber Rudd, the former home secretary, and Justine Greening, a former education secretary – who are both pro-europe – also offered Mr Clark their support.
His comments prompted a furious backlash from Eurosceptics, who said that his intervention had been “licensed” by Downing Street. They accused No 10 of double-standards, highlighting the fact that Eurosceptics opposed to the customs partnership plan like Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and David Davis are unable to voice their views publicly. Downing Street
denied it had orchestrated Mr Clark’s intervention.
A spokesman for No 10 said: “The idea that Downing Street deliberately put Greg Clark up to fly the flag for a customs partnership is absolute nonsense.”
A Eurosceptic Cabinet source said: “It’s Project Fear all over again, it’s not going to work.
‘There’s no doubt Greg Clark has been licensed to say what he has said by No 10 ... It’s Project Fear 2.0’
“These tired old arguments were all trotted out during the referendum and the electorate wholeheartedly rejected them.
“It’s time we stopped fighting the battles of the past and went for a true Brexit.
“No10 is silencing Brexiteers while unsubtly putting forward the Business Secretary to make the case for staying in the customs partnership.”
David Cameron and the Remain campaign were accused of using “Project Fear” during the EU referendum campaign in 2016, with dire warnings that up to 500,000 people would lose their jobs because of the economic damage of Brexit.
David Jones, a former Brexit minister, told The Daily Telegraph: “There’s no doubt Greg Clark has been licensed to say what he has said by No10.
“They ought to understand that the customs partnership is dead and finished and they should give up.
“It’s Project Fear 2.0, it’s not what we expect now. We want a Government that understands the way the wind has blown and delivers what people voted for.
“The customs union lite will not be acceptable.
“If a Eurosceptic minister had spoken out, in the same way, they would have been hauled in front of No10. It’s disgraceful.”
Mr Clark denied that he had been close to tears in a Cabinet meeting as he made the case for a customs partnership last week but said: “I have never been so clear eyed in my life about this. I feel very strongly.
“It is absolutely right we should be leaving the customs union, but what we replace it with is of huge importance.”
He said Toyota had “a choice” on whether to develop future engines at its plant on Deeside in North Wales or on the Continent.