Brexiteers warn Theresa May she faces a battle to unite Cabinet hard-liners

HARDLINE Brexiteers warned Theresa May last night she still has a battle to unite ministers on Brexit.

Some reckon the now-jubilant PM gave away too much to clinch her Brussels talks victory.

That could spell trouble as the Cabinet tries to decide our post-Brexit EU ties.

A senior MP said: “The celebrations would make you think we won a war.

“In truth, we’ve just entered the battlefield. And we’ll start by fighting among ourselves over how we tackle the real enemy.”

The Tories’ militant Leave wing has kept a lid on misgivings over Friday’s Brexit breakthrough to avoid spoiling the PM’s big moment.

But gloves are set to come off when ministers meet in nine days to discuss the “end state”.

A pro-Brexit source said of Brussels talks chief Michel Barnier: “He and his team will look like pussycats once we get our claws into her.”

The PM has two months to finalise a negotiating stance.

Ministers are drawing up their own demands ahead of December 19 Cabinet talks.

They include having a say in how we spend billions saved in EU payments and less business red tape.

Brexiteers also want a declaration that we will leave the single market and customs union after the two-year transition.

One minister said of the PM: “I think she understands the bottom will fall out of the bucket if she doesn’t go down that road.”

Environment Secretary Michael Gove stressed that point in an article approved by No10.

He said that after transition we would have “full freedom to diverge from EU law on the single market and customs union”.

Mrs May’s “victory” continued to unravel last night EU sources warned we will not get a special trade deal.