Theresa May raps Brexit Secretary David Davis for risking cabinet row after he said the UK may quit EU’s single market
The veteran eurosceptic risked a cabinet row by telling MPs that Britain is likely to opt out of Europe’s free trade area
BREXIT Secretary David Davis has been slapped down by Theresa May for risking a Cabinet row on whether to ditch the EU’s single market.
In his first Commons outing on Monday in the post, the veteran eurosceptic told MPs Britain is likely to opt out of Europe’s free trade area.
It was “very improbable” that we would remain a member because it would mean “giving up control of our borders”, he said.
But The Sun has been told the declaration angered a series of Cabinet ministers who campaigned for a
Remain vote in the referendum, lead by Chancellor Philip Hammond and Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green.
It also cuts across Mrs May’s Brexit negotiation plan to keep all options on the table.
No10 considered Mr Davis’s rogue intervention so serious that the PM was informed on her RAF jet while flying back from the G20 summit in China.
The PM’s official spokeswoman distanced Mrs May from Mr Davis’s comments yesterday, insisting he was “setting out his opinion” rather than the government’s.
The spokeswoman added: “It’s not always the right approach to putting all your cards on the table at the start.
“The approach the PM is taking is let’s be ambitious, let’s do this work, let’s work out what is the best deal for Britain and then let’s go after that.”
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The episode reveals just how high tension is between Cabinet ministers who have widely differing views on what Britain’s future EU relationship should be.
The Chancellor was also on Mrs May’s RAF flight – nicknamed Thereasy Jet - home from Hangzhou.
Mr Hammond has dubbed losing access to the single market as “catastrophic" for the UK’s economy.
A pro-EU former Cabinet minister said Mr Davis’s dismissal of the single market had angered a lot of Remain Tory MPs.
The senior Tory MP said last night: “Davis’s stance yesterday was extraordinary. He doesn’t think single market access is important at all.
“The vacuum comes from the top. If Theresa doesn’t want DD and Liam to freelance, she has to set out a starting point for negotiations now.”
A survey by Lord Ashcroft on Monday revealed Brits want to stay in the single market after Brexit by a large majority.
But they also want to end free movement from the EU by a big margin too.