Leadsom renews plea for unity over Brexit

ANDREA LEADSOM has pleaded for unity on Brexit amid claims cabinet ministers want Theresa May to ease up on her “red lines”.

The Commons leader said ministers would “listen and consult” and be “open and responsive” to MPs and peers in a two-year Parliament period set to be dominated by Britain’s exit from the European Union.

But she also called on parliamentarians to work together in the national interest. It comes amid claims of cabinet splits over the UK leaving the EU, with B rex it secretary David Davis’s former chief of staff James Chapman claiming the Prime Minister’s insistence on exiting the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice ( ECJ) had “hamstrung” his former boss in negotiations.

Ms Leadsom, a leading Leave campaigner who has caused controversy with calls for broadcasters to be “patriotic” over Brexit, said MPs and peers must prepare to leave the EU “in a way that brings the country together”.

She said: “We hope parliamentarians can set aside partisan politics to work together wherever possible in the best interests of our country.

“Such a co-operative approach is easiest when there is already a degree of consensus, yet it matters most on the issues where there are real disagreements. There is more to our politics than pessimistic bickering.”