Cabinet backs no-deal Brexit – but May turns to Corbyn instead
THERESA MAY ignored the will of her Cabinet yesterday by ruling out a no-deal Brexit and choosing to extend Article 50 as she asked Jeremy Corbyn to help her find a compromise.
She faced a full-scale Tory rebellion as she was accused of handing Mr Corbyn “the keys to Brexit”.
Mrs May now faces possible Cabinet resignations after 14 ministers asked her to keep no deal on the table during an eight-hour meeting. She snubbed them, even though just 10 ministers supported her proposal.
Eurosceptics accused her of announcing “an attempt to overturn the referendum” as she admitted defeat over her existing Brexit deal.
She said: “I’ve always been clear that we could make a success of no deal in the long term. But leaving with a deal is best. So we will need a further extension of Article 50, one that is short and which ends when we pass a deal.”
Brexiteers fear Mrs May is about to pivot to supporting a customs union.
If Mrs May and Mr Corbyn fail to agree a way forward before next week’s emergency EU summit, the Government will give MPS a chance to decide on an alternative and would “abide by” the Commons decision.
It is understood that Mrs May is considering asking MPS to express a preference for different Brexit outcomes by ranking them in order, if she fails to reach an agreement with Labour.
That would guarantee that Parliament would reach a decision, as the system would ensure that one of the alternatives was declared the winner.
Jacob Rees-mogg, head of the European Research Group of Tory Brexiteers, called it an attempt to “do a deal with a socialist who doesn’t want Brexit and is not in line with the Conservative Party’s manifesto commitment”.
Boris Johnson said it was “very disappointing that the Cabinet has decided to entrust the final handling of Brexit to Mr Corbyn and Labour”. He added: “If Jeremy Corbyn gets his way, we remain in the customs union... we should be leaving. You could manage a perfectly successful no-deal outcome.”
The DUP last night said they were “surprised” by Mrs May’s announcement, adding: “The PM’S lamentable handling of the negotiations with the EU means she has failed to deliver a sensible Brexit deal that works for all parts of the UK. That is why she has not been able to get it through Parliament. “It remains to be seen if sub-contracting out the future of Brexit to Mr Corbyn, someone whom the Tories have demonised for four years, will end happily.”
The 14 ministers against an Article 50 extension were Liam Fox, Gavin Williamson, Penny Mordaunt, Liz Truss, Sajid Javid, Chris Grayling, Jeremy Wright, Andrea Leadsom, Jeremy Hunt, Baroness Evans, Stephen Barclay, James Brokenshire, Alun Cairns and Brandon Lewis. Those calling for an extension included Philip Hammond, David Gauke, Greg Clark, Amber Rudd, David Lidington, Michael Gove, Karen Bradley, Claire Perry and Geoffrey Cox.
Mr Corbyn will meet Mrs May but would not say if he was prepared to compromise. No 10 refused to rule out a customs union or a second referendum being discussed with Mr Corbyn, opening the door to a soft Brexit.