Former PMs challenge Brexit plan
"It's going to be difficult, there's no doubt about that, but perhaps an opportunity to consult more widely." David Cameron, former British prime minister
BRITAIN: Theresa May is under growing pressure to abandon her plan for a hard Brexit as she tries to stitch together a deal with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party that will keep her Conservative Party in power.
Two former Conservative prime ministers broke cover yesterday to demand that May reassess her approach to leaving the European Union, after she lost her majority in last week’s election.
In separate interventions, David Cameron and John Major urged May to collaborate with rival parties on shaping the United Kingdom’s departure from the EU because she had failed to win a mandate for a hard Brexit.
Their interventions came as France and Germany told Britain the door was still open to reversing its decision to leave.
‘‘It’s going to be difficult, there’s no doubt about that, but perhaps an opportunity to consult more widely with the other parties on how best we can achieve it,’’ Cameron told a business conference in Poland, according to a report in the Financial Times. ‘‘I think there will be pressure for a softer Brexit,’’ he said.
His comments emerged within hours of Major telling May to listen more to people who opposed leaving the EU.
‘‘A hard Brexit was not endorsed by the electorate,’’ Major told BBC radio.
Cameron and Major are close allies and in the past have coordinated their interventions in British politics. Cameron - who resigned after losing the Brexit referendum last year, and was replaced by May - worked for Major’s government when he was a young adviser before being elected to Parliament in the 1990s.
They are the two most senior Conservatives to urge May to change course on Brexit after last week’s disastrous election result for the party.
She called a snap vote in an attempt to win a bigger majority and strengthen her position before embarking on Brexit talks. Instead, she lost her parliamentary majority in a surprise result that saw her Labour opponents win seats.
The comments from the two former premiers will embolden those Tory ministers who are privately plotting to soften May’s stance on Brexit, potentially even allowing the UK to stay in the single market and customs union.
Brexit negotiations are due to begin next Tuesday. Before then, May hopes to conclude talks with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster to secure the backing of her 10 lawmakers in the House of Commons for the Tories’ program for government.
A government official said the talks were making good progress and would resume today. Foster tweeted that ‘‘we hope soon to be able to bring this work to a successful conclusion’’.
In Paris yesterday, May met French President Emmanuel Macron, who echoed German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who said it would not be too late for the UK to change its mind and stay in the EU.
‘‘Of course the door remains open, always open until the Brexit negotiations come to an end,’’ Macron said.
‘‘That being said, a sovereign decision was taken by the British people, and that is to come out of the European Union, and I very much respect the decisions taken by the people, be it by the French people or the British people.
‘‘As a matter of fact, in this case it’s not for me to say whether or not this decision should be questioned - the decision to leave the European Union - but until the negotiations come to an end, of course there is always the possibility to re-open the door.
‘‘But let us be clear and organised, and once the negotiations have started, we should be well aware that it’ll be more difficult to move backwards.’’
May endured an awkward start to their joint press conference in the garden of the Elysee Palane as her speech notes were carried away on a gust of wind. When she spoke, in front of an EU flag, she did so to insist there would be no delay to the start of Brexit talks.
Schauble said earlier that the British government had said it was staying with Brexit, but added: ‘‘We take the decision as a matter of respect. But if they wanted to change their decision, of course, they would find open doors.’’
Macron said before the election that Britain could expect no special favours. Since his arrival in power, he has launched an intense campaign to persuade international financial services and other industries to move to France as part of an expected exodus from the UK.
- Bloomberg, The Times