Cabinet minister warns Theresa May her custom plan with the EU will be ‘a disaster’
Row over her plan for a Customs Partnership is the most dangerous split yet between former Remainers and Leavers
A CABINET minister last night warned Theresa May that her customs plan with the EU will be “a disaster” ahead of a major showdown.
Issuing the bombshell, the senior government figure also said the PM was on the verge of “a crunch point” this week with her most senior Brexiteers.
The spiralling row over her plan for a Customs Partnership is the most dangerous split yet between the Cabinet’s former Remainers and Leavers.
It will come to a head with Mrs May’s 11-strong Brexit war committee meet to discuss it on Wednesday.
The angry Cabinet minister told The Sun last night: “The customs union option currently favoured by No10 would be a disaster.
“It is so fiendishly complicated that most trade experts have derided it.
“It is not too late for the PM to change her mind and get back to the vision of Lancaster House.”
Under the partnership proposal, Britain will act as the EU’s outer border and collect its trade tariffs, while operating its own independent trade policy at the same time.
But senior Brexiteer ministers – including David Davis, Liam Fox and Boris Johnson – insist the plan is unworkable.
And one prominent anti-EU Tory MP publicly warned Mrs May yesterday that it would betray the Brexit vote by keeping the UK shackled to Brussels’ orders.
He said: “It doesn’t pass any of the tests that the PM has herself set”.
But Mrs May’s allies hit back last night as the tension deepened.
One Downing Street figure said: “This is part of a concerted effort by eurosceptics to push the government into a more hard line position. It’s not going to work”.
A war of words between Downing Street and Brexiteers also exploded over the PM’s chief Brexit advisor Olly Robbins yesterday.
Mrs May was urged to sack the top civil servant, who is the architect of the customs partnership.
But her closest allies rowed in to defend Mr Robbins.
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Government Chief Whip Julian Smith tweeted: “@UKCivilService is helping to deliver Brexit. The quality of support/advice is world class. Attacking ind civil servants is deeply unfair”.
Mor@UKCivilService is helping to deliver Brexit. The quality of support/advice is world class. Attacking ind civil servants is deeply unfair.
His tweet was also endorsed by the PM’s own Chief of Staff, who highlighted it with his own tweet, saying “This”.