May goes into battle with Brexiteers in marathon talks at Chequers

By Katrine Bussey

Theresa May’s Cabinet gathered yesterday at the Prime Minister’s country retreat, Chequers, for a high-stakes showdown over Britain’s future relations with the EU.

In a session that was expected to last at least 12 hours, ministers were asked to approve a plan which could see the UK sign up to EU rules on agriculture and food, potentially making it much harder to strike a post-brexit trade deal with the US.

The plan, set out by Mrs May in a document more than 100 pages long and distributed to ministers only on Thursday, has sparked fury in the Leave camp and prompted speculation that Cabinet Brexiteers could be prepared to walk out of the government.

Mrs May wants her team to unite behind a comprehensive offer to the EU to be set out in a White Paper for publication next week. She said ministers had “an opportunity - and a duty” to reach agreement on a plan which would command the support of both the public and Parliament.

Downing Street insisted it is “categorically untrue” that the post-brexit relationship with the EU envisaged by Mrs May would make a trade deal with the US impossible.

The Prime Minister herself insisted the government would secure a Brexit which would allow “ambitious” trade deals with the US, Australia and New Zealand.

But the proposals led to open revolt among Eurosceptic Tory MPS, while Brexit Secretary David Davis is understood to have severe reservations about both the proposal and whether it could prove acceptable to Brussels.

Leading Brexiteer David Jones – a former minister at Mr Davis’s Department for Exiting the EU – said the proposed deal breached all three of Mrs May’s red lines of leaving the single market, customs union and jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.

Describing the plan as “not very good at all”, Mr Jones told BBC Radio 4’s Today that it would deliver “something less than the full Brexit we have had repeated promises of by the PM and Cabinet members”.

PRO-EU former minister Nicky Morgan said any Cabinet members who do not like the position agreed at the Primeminister’sbuckinghamshire residence should consider resigning.

“What we cannot see is a position that is briefed out tomorrow morning and then over the next 48 hours members of the Cabinet start to undermine or query it or anything else,” said the former education secretary.

Downingstreetwasreported to be ready to deal with any resignations, with insiders quoted as saying that anyone deciding to quit the government will lose the use of their ministerial car and have to take a taxi home.

The entire Cabinet, including ministers who are not full members but attend meetings, arrived one by one by car at Chequers yesterday morning in time for discussions to start at 10am.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt was the first to be driven past a small group of anti-brexit protesters into the 16th century red brick manor house. Ahead of the meeting, the Prime Minister said the Chequers summit would “agree the shape of our future relationship with the European Union”.

She added: “In doing so, we have a great opportunity - and a duty - to set an ambitious course to enhance our prosperity and security outside the European Union, and to build a country that genuinely works for everyone.

“We want a deal that allows us to deliver the benefits of Brexit – taking control of our borders, laws and money and by signing ambitious new trade deals with countries like the US, Australia and New Zealand.”

Chief Whip Julian Smith, in charge of party discipline, insisted “the Prime Minister will have a great day” at Chequers.