Brexit’s bloodiest battle begins

SENIOR Conservative minister Michael Gove has been accused of undermining Theresa May and promoting himself as her successor by saying voters could use the next election to rip up her EU deal.

The UK’s Environment Secretary, who led the Brexit campaign along with Boris Johnson, said that after a two-year ‘transition’ when the UK leaves the EU in 2019, it would then have ‘full freedom to diverge from EU law on the Single Market and Customs Union’.

If the public thought that this was too timid, then a future British government could force a more radical split and ‘diverge’ from Brussels, Mr Gove argued.

His remarks came as rival Cabinet factions squared up for a battle over whether to opt for a ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ Brexit.

Conservative MP Anna Soubry, a supporter of remaining within the EU, said: ‘Theresa May has done an excellent job. The Government said that we would end up with a trade deal as good as the Single Market and the prime minister has been as good as her word.’

Her comments were echoed by another supporter of the European Union, Lib Dems leader Vince Cable, who accused Mr Gove of a ‘poisonous’ attempt to wreck Mrs May’s ‘modest triumph’.

He writes in the British edition today’s Mail on Sunday: ‘The male equivalent of a stiletto heel was deployed by this smiling assassin to hurt and seemingly seek to destroy her politically.’

Gove’s message to hardline Brexiteers is clear, said Mr Cable: ‘Don’t worry, guys, we may have lost the battle, but we will win the war. Once we have got past Brexit Day in March 2019, we will get rid of this troublesome woman.’