EU leaders to meet amid rift in Britain

May tells business lobby core elements of future relationship with EU are in place

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British Prime Minister Theresa May sought to seal business support for her Brexit deal with the European Union yesterday, but remained on a collision course with a group of lawmakers seeking to unseat her.

The draft agreement has triggered an avalanche of criticism in Britain and left May fighting to keep her job, even as she races to firm up the final deal before a crucial EU summit.

May told business lobby group the Confederation of British Industry that “an intense week of negotiations” lay ahead to finalise the framework for future relations between Britain and the bloc before EU leaders meet on Sunday to rubber-stamp the deal.

The PM said the “core elements” of the future relationship were in place. She said the deal “fulfils the wishes of the British people” to leave the EU, by taking back control of the UK’s laws, money and borders. May confirmed plans to end the automatic right of EU citizens to live and work in the UK, saying Britain’s future immigration policy will be based on skills, rather than nationality.

“It will no longer be the case that EU nationals, regardless of the skills or experience they have to offer, can jump the queue ahead of engineers from Sydney or software developers from Delhi,” May said.

Leadership crisis

The deal has infuriated pro-Brexit lawmakers in May’s Conservative Party and sparked a leadership crisis. The Brexiteers want a clean break with the bloc and argue that the close trade ties called for in the agreement will leave Britain a vassal state, bound to EU rules it has no say in making.

Two Cabinet ministers, including Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, resigned in protest, and rebels are trying to gather the signatures of 48 lawmakers needed to trigger a no-confidence vote.

One of the rebels, Simon Clarke, on Monday urged wavering colleagues to help trigger a leadership challenge.

“It is quite clear to me that the captain is driving the ship at the rocks,” Clarke said.

Even if May sees off a leadership challenge, she still has to get the deal approved by Parliament.