Daily Mail

SOFT BREXIT THREAT TO MAY

PM’s compromise wins over Cabinet – but poll warns voters will desert her if deal goes too far

- By Jason Groves and Daniel Martin

SETTLING for a soft Brexit could cost the Conservati­ves the next election, Theresa May was warned last night. The Prime Minister faced down a revolt by Cabinet Euroscepti­cs at Chequers yesterday to reach an uneasy agreement on a 12-point ‘compromise’, which could see Britain tied to some EU rules for ever.

But the summit came as a poll showed a swathe of Tory voters will abandon Mrs May if she waters down Brexit too much – with two-thirds warning that they would rather walk away without a deal.

After nine hours of bruising talks, ministers last night appeared to have accepted a so- called ‘third way’ deal with Europe. And, in a thinly-veiled threat to those not willing to toe the line, a newly- emboldened Mrs May warned that ‘collective responsibi­lity’ has now been ‘fully restored’ within the

Cabinet. A report last night claimed the PM felt so confident in her victory that she had promised allies she would sack Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson if he tries to undermine the deal in the coming weeks.

And in a tough-talking letter to Tory MPs, she warned that: ‘ During the EU referendum campaign, collective responsibi­lity on EU policy was temporaril­y suspended.

‘As we developed our policy on Brexit I have allowed Cabinet colleagues to express their individual views.

‘Agreement on this proposal marks the point where that is no longer the case and collective responsibi­lity is now fully restored.’

Mrs May was also said to be standing firm as Downing Street braced itself for a potential leadership challenge as early as next week.

One insider conceded that the 48 MPs needed to trigger a ballot could submit letters of no confidence when Parliament returns on Monday.

But Mrs May is said to be determined to fight on – as allies say they do not believe the party’s Euroscepti­c wing has the numbers to defeat her.

One Cabinet ally said: ‘Yes, there may be a contest – but she will win it.’

Pro-Brexit backbenche­rs may also refuse to heed her threat, privately suggesting that the PM will face open mutiny if the deal is ‘as bad as it looks’.

Following the crunch meeting at her country retreat, Mrs May issued a statement saying her warring Cabinet had ‘agreed our collective position for the future of our negotiatio­ns with the EU’.

In a significan­t shift, which looks certain to enrage some Euroscepti­cs, Mrs May said ministers had agreed to abide by EU rules for industrial goods and farm products in order to ease the burden on business.

The move could limit the UK’s ability to strike trade deals with countries like the US.

In a statement last night, Downing Street said the proposals represente­d a ‘substantia­l evolution’ of the Government’s position which was designed to ensure ‘frictionle­ss trade’ with the EU.

It added it was the Government’s ‘ firm view’ that striking a comprehens­ive trade deal was the best option. But, with time running short, ministers also agreed that contingenc­y plans for coping with a no-deal exit should be ‘stepped up’.

However as Whitehall officials patted themselves on the back, results from a poll commission­ed by pro-Brexit group Change Britain revealed that plenty of Tory voters would not be willing to follow Mrs May into a soft Brexit.

The survey revealed that a quarter would be less likely to vote Tory if the final deal left the EU with some power to limit the UK’s ability to strike new trade deals – as it appeared to do. And almost two-thirds said Mrs May needed to be ready to ‘turn down a bad deal’ and walk away.

Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns described the survey’s findings as ‘a real wake-up call for the Cabinet and all Conservati­ve MPs’.

Miss Jenkyns, who quit the Government last month to speak out on Brexit, told BBC Look North she would ‘100 per cent’ be willing to sign a letter to trigger a leadership challenge to Theresa May. She said: ‘I am a blunt northerner. I speak as I find... I am standing up for the 17.4million people who wanted these red lines.’ And in a nod to the Leave campaign’s promise to ‘take back control’, the 12-point blueprint said Parliament would have to approve all new EU regulation­s after Brexit.

Mrs May also pledged to end the ‘jurisdicti­on’ of the European courts – but it was unclear how this would work if the UK agrees to follow a ‘common rulebook’.

Sources said the move meant ‘no individual or business in the UK will be able to take a case to the European Court of Justice’.

Last night’s agreement also commits the government to pursuing a new ‘mobility framework’ with the EU, which would allow citizens to ‘continue to travel to each other’s territorie­s, and apply for study and work’.

The move will raise fears that Mrs May could yet soften her stance on immigratio­n. But the document also pledges to end free movement, and sources said final details of a new immigratio­n system would not be agreed until the autumn.

Yesterday’s Chequers summit began with Mrs May issuing an ultimatum to ministers: accept her proposals or resign.

The PM’s top team ‘had war-gamed’ the possibilit­y of big name resignatio­ns such as David Davis or Mr Johnson – and had already lined up replacemen­ts. In an extraordin­ary move, officials even left cards for a local minicab firm in the Chequers lobby to drive home the point that anyone tempted to storm out would lose their ministeria­l car and have to make the mile-long walk up the driveway on foot.

In the afternoon, the Prime Minister led the discussion on the 120-page White Paper on Britain’s future relations, which she hopes to publish next week.

Last night John Longworth of the campaign group Leave Means Leave, accused Mrs May of betrayal.

Mr Longworth, a former head of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: ‘We have now seen Theresa May’s true colours. This is a bad deal for the UK which will only slide further as the EU take more and more.’

And one senior MP said Euroscepti­cs could wreck Government business in the Commons – and even vote down the Budget – if Mrs May ‘betrays’ their vision of Brexit.

The source said the mood among backbenche­rs was so ugly that some MPs had to be talked out of voting against the Government’s spending plans on Tuesday.

‘If they go down this route, they will need Labour votes to get the Brexit deal through,’ the source said. ‘And if they do that I’m not sure they will be able to govern.’

‘Minicab firm was put on standby’

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