Theresa May chairs her Brexit ‘War Cabinet’ to thrash out a plan for the EU negotiations as Brussels threatens to punish Britain for breaking rules during transition
PM is under huge pressure to clarify her plan for the second phase of negotiations, as business leaders say they are losing patience with her
THERESA May is set to convene her Brexit “War Cabinet” today to try and diffuse another Cabinet row on the EU and thrash out a plan for the negotiations.
But the meeting comes as Brussels threatens to punish Britain with trade tariffs and grounding planes if it breaks the rules during the transition period.
And the Prime Minister is under huge pressure to clarify her plan for the second phase of negotiations, as business leaders say they are losing patience with her Government.
There is also a damning report warning Whitehall departments have been “too slow” to prepare for exiting the EU, with just over a year until the end of the Article 50 period.
The Brexit sub-committee, known as the “War Cabinet” as it contains Mrs May’s most senior ministers, will discuss post-Brexit immigration and the Irish border issue this afternoon.
They are set to meet again tomorrow morning to discuss strategy for a long-term trade deal with Brussels, but insiders fear no final plan will be signed off for the talks as the divides between the hard and soft Brexiteers is too wide.
The discussions are also likely to be dominated by reports the EU is demanding Mrs May allows Brussels to slap tariffs on UK goods, ground flights and suspend single market access during the Brexit transition period.
The four-page European Commission dossier, obtained by The Sun, also shows Britain is set to be denied a veto on fishing quotas during a transition period — sparking fears our trawler fleet could be wiped out.
Whitehall attempted to play down the significance of the draft text, insisting it would form the basis for a negotiation on the terms of a transitional deal, which is expected to last for around two years after the UK leaves the bloc in March 2019.
But a letter from the British Chambers of Commerce to the PM demanding "clear negotiating objectives".
What is Theresa May’s Brexit ‘War Cabinet’?
THE OFFICIAL name for it is the rather-long “European Union Exit and Trade (Strategy and Negotiations) sub-Committee”.
And its official role is “to oversee the negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from, and future relationship with, the European Union”.
But in practise it is a group of the PM’s most senior Cabinet ministers, who meet every so often to discuss strategy for the negotiations.
Including Mrs May there will be 11 MPs sat round the table in Number 10 today: Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, Chancellor Philip Hammond, Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Brexit Secretary David Davis, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, Business Secretary Greg Clark, Environment Secretary Michael Gove, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson and Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley.
But the problem for Mrs May is that there is a lack of unity on what Britain’s positions should be, with Mr Hammond, Mr Lidington, Ms Rudd and Mr Clark all favouring a much softer Brexit.
On the other side Mr Johnson, Mr Davis, Mr Fox and Mr Gove all campaigned for leave and back a harder line on Brexit.
That leaves the PM, Mr Williamson and Ms Bradley as the ministers who could swing any vote, but Mrs May will be looking for the Cabinet to speak with one voice on such an important set of issues.
They said businesses' patience is "wearing thin" and warned companies were beginning to activate Brexit contingency plans, which will be seen as a coded warning that jobs could leave the UK.
And a report by the Commons Public Accounts Committee has warned the Government urgent action is needed to recruit staff, streamline decision-making and cut back on other commitments to get ready for Brexit.
Its deputy chairman, Leave-backing Tory MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, said currently departments "do not have the technical, project or senior leadership capacity for Brexit alongside all their other planned activity".