PM under siege at Chequers Brexit showdown

● Compromise plan for trade and customs attacked from all sides

Theresa May will go into a crucial cabinet showdown at Chequers today with all sides of the Brexit debate laying siege to a compromise plan for trade with the EU branded “unworkable” and “foolish”.

Two leading Brexiteer cabinet ministers, David Davis and Liam Fox, warned that her proposal to combine a customs partnership and technological checks at the UK’S border is unacceptable and would be rejected by Brussels, with Mr Fox said to be considering his position.

In return, pro-eu members of the cabinet are said to be preparing their own ultimatums for the away-day to block the Prime Minister from making concessions to Brexiteers.

Last night she appealed for unity from hardliners in her party, with a statement highlighting the need to agree a

0 Brexiteer minister David Davis has warned some proposals would be rejected by Brussels way forward that “commands the support of the public and Parliament”.

However,shefacesrealanger from Tory backbenchers even if agreement is reached in cabinet, with the MP Owen Paterson saying any plan that requires regulatory alignment with the EU and prevents trade deals with the likes of the US “would be a complete breach of Theresa May’s manifesto commitment”.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Government demanded that its call for the UK to stay in the single market and customs union be heard at Chequers, with the SNP’S Brexit minister Michael Russell telling Mrs May to “grow up” and “wake up to reality”. Following talks with UK counterparts in London, Mr Russell said that “devolution is broken” and “has not withstood the pressure from Brexit.”

The Scottish Government produced its plan for postbrexit trade and customs, with Mr Russell warning that ministers in Edinburgh had no confidence a draft white paper set to be approved at Chequers could even be delivered.

“We are trying to say to the UK government, please grow up, listen to what is real,” He said: “I was in Strasbourg earlier this week. I spoke to members of the European Parliament and members of the [EU] Commission. Everybody uses the same word – reality. The UK government has to wake up to reality.”

Scottish Secretary David Mundell pledged to put forward the Scottish Government’s proposals at Chequers, despite admitting that “on a fundamental level, we don’t agree because the Scottish Government doesn’t want to leave the EU.

“Leaving the EU is about leaving the single market because it’s not possible to be in the single market and not be in the EU,” he said.

“I’ll be arguing strongly that our businesses get the best