Brexiteers ‘line up Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Jacob Rees-Mogg as dream team to replace May’
THERESA May could be forced out by a Brexit “dream team” if she brings in plans to keep Britain in a customs union, it was claimed last night.
Eurosceptic MPs have been in touch with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson demanding he agree a plan that would see Michael Gove as his deputy PM and Jacob Rees-Mogg as Chancellor.
BoJo told one plotter he would be “ready” for a leadership battle and insisted the “cavalry is coming” to stop the customs union plan, it was reported.
Tory rebels are threatening to try and keep the UK in a customs union with the EU - which would mean we couldn't sign certain types of trade deals with other countries.
Europhiles Anna Soubry and Ken Clarke joined rebel Labour MPs to table the demand in amendments to the Trade Bill & Customs Bills.
Mrs May will discuss Britain’s future relationship with the EU with her top team this week in two days of crunch talks.
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has told colleagues he is ready to walk out of government if the customs union arrangement is agreed.
Mr Fox spoke out against any new customs union while on a visit to China - saying it wouldn't be possible to have an independent trade policy.
Under the plan, senior jobs would be found for booted minister Priti Patel, and housing minister Dominic Raab.
What does this cabinet argument about the customs union mean?
THERESA May promised Britain would leave both the single market and the customs union when we quit the EU in 2019.
The single market is a trading area which scraps tarrifs, quotas or tarriffs on trade between a certain set of countries.
And it includes the free movement of people around that area - something Brexiteers are keen to control when we quit the EU so we can control the numbers coming into the UK.
A customs union is another form of trade area with countries who agree to set the same tariffs to goods from outside the union.
Turkey, for example, is in a customs union with the EU, but is not in the single market.
Mrs May is under pressure to stay in a type of customs union to try and prevent any extra tariffs on goods when we leave.
But that would keep with it certain rules and regulations we would have to contend with.
And it would mean we wouldn't be able to strike free trade deals with other countries as they would go against the customs union arrangement.
A huge part of the UK economy involves financial services too, which would not be covered by a customs union.
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A wave of letters demanding a vote of no confidence is set to happen unless Mrs May backed down on her plan, reported.
Number 10 are also monitoring around ten ministers - including Tobias Ellwood, Philip Lee and Rory Stewart, it is claimed - fearing they could walk out of their jobs causing the government to collapse.
It also emerged that MPs want a Brexit Minister stationed in Brussels to keep on top of officials there.
The Brexit “war cabinet” will meet on Wednesday and Thursday for two hours on each day to agree the government’s position on the next stage of negotiations.