Hunt warns Boris: Back May or you risk derailing Brexit
... as Chancellor says UK could be hit with £36bn no-deal divorce bill
‘This was always going to be difficult’
JEREMY Hunt last night warned Boris Johnson and Cabinet Brexiteers they must back Theresa May ‘to the hilt’, as ministers were told of a potential £36billion ‘no deal’ divorce bill. In an outspoken intervention, the Foreign Secretary pointed the finger specificrunch cally at his predecessor whose posturing he said had created ‘a real danger’ that Brexit will be ‘derailed altogether’.
As the Prime Minister flies to Brussels for a summit today, Mr Hunt said now was the time to unite behind the Prime Minister, adding: ‘We owe it to her to be rock solid in our support as she battles for Britain’. And in a message to EU leaders, Mr Hunt urged them not to repeat the ‘mistake’ they made with David Cameron during his attempted re-negotiation of Britain’s EU membership when they failed to give enough ground and the country voted to leave.
Yesterday, Mrs May appealed for her Cabinet to ‘stand together and stand firm’ at a two-and-a-half hour meeting in Downing Street. However, ministers disagreed over whether the UK should demand a specific end date to the Northern Ireland backstop, which would keep the country in the customs union if there is no agreement on how to avoid a hard border.
The Mail understands Chancellor Philip Hammond warned fellow ministers the country could still be on the hook for tens of billions even if it walks away from negotiations withcific out an agreement. A Cabinet source said: ‘The Chancellor revealed there is a Treasury legal opinion that says even in the event of no deal we hand over £30billion to £36billion to the EU.’ On another dramatic day:
At least half a dozen ministers demanded the PM get legal advice to ensure the UK is not trapped in the arrangement against its will by Brussels;
The Cabinet discussed the possibility of extending the transition period, which is due to end in 2021, by another year;
EC president Donald Tusk said Brexit talks could be put on hold until December if Mrs May fails to come up with fresh ‘concrete’ proposals tonight.
Mr Hunt last night used an interview with the Mail to warn that chances of a Brexit deal would be scuppered if ministers failed to get behind Mrs May at this ‘ pivotal moment’. ‘The reality is that these were always going to be difficult negotiations and difficult negotiations always have a pivotal moment. This is that moment,’ he said.
Mr Hunt urged Brexiteers to have a reality check about how both sides need to agree on the deal. He said: ‘We have to give [Mrs May] room to negotiate.’ He also delivered a spe- warning to his predecessor Mr Johnson, saying: ‘Boris is a backbencher so… he is free to say exactly as he thinks. But what I would say to Boris is be careful because there is a real danger that if all of us Conservative MPs do not stand behind the Prime Minister at a moment like this, the danger is that Brexit will be derailed altogether. I am sure this is the last thing Boris wants.’
At yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, Attorney General Geoffrey Cox told ministers that accepting the EU’s proposed backstop as it is currently written would amount to ‘rolling the dice’ on whether the UK would ever be able to escape the customs union. Environment Secretary Michael Gove said ministers needed to receive legal advice on any proposed backstop from Mr Cox before they could agree to it, a point backed by
International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt, Commons leader Andrea Leadsom, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, Mr hunt, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and home Secretary Sajid Javid.
On Sunday, Mr hunt hosted a group of eight of his european counterparts before holding one-on-one talks with four others the next day. Yesterday, he revealed he had warned them of the dangers if they do not make enough concessions in Brexit talks.
he said: ‘The decisions we take in the next seven weeks will shape the relationship Britain has with europe for the next 50 years. We have a huge responsibility to get that right.’
Mr hunt was one of eight ministers to meet for pizza on Monday night ahead of yesterday’s Cabinet meeting. Asked why he had attended, he replied: ‘I went to say that it is very important to stand behind the PM.’
Mrs May told Cabinet she was committed to finding a Brexit that delivers on the referendum result, safeguards jobs and preserves the Union
The head of the civil service, Mark Sedwill, has accused Tory Brexiteers of making ‘ shameful’ attacks on the PM’s chief Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins. hard line eurosceptics have accused Mr Robbins of undermining their vision of Brexit.