Theresa May fails to slap down Boris Johnson after he savages her ‘crazy’ plans for an EU ‘customs partnership’ post-Brexit
THERESA May has failed to slap down Boris Johnson after he piled pressure on her Brexit policy after savaging her plans for an EU customs deal as "crazy".
The Prime Minister's official spokesman simply said the Foreign Secretary had "signed up" to the strategy outlined in her Mansion House speech when asked about his extraordinary comments this morning.
Mr Johnson had earlier accused the PM of betraying Brexit and is said to be fed up with her dithering.
In an interview, Mr Johnson said a customs partnership — where Britain would collect taxes on behalf of the EU — would create “a whole new web of bureaucracy”.
The Foreign Secretary told the Daily Mail: “It’s totally untried and would make it very, very difficult to do free trade deals.
“If you have the new customs partnership you have a crazy system whereby you end up collecting tariffs on behalf of the EU at the UK frontier.
“That’s not taking back control of your trade policy, it’s not taking back control of your laws."
He added: “It’s not taking back control of your borders and it’s actually not taking back control of your money either, because tariffs would get paid centrally back to Brussels.”
But speaking today Number 10 said the PM continues to have full confidence in Mr Johnson.
Asked about the comments, her official spokesman said: "There are two customs models that were put forward by the Government last August and most recently outlined in the Prime Minister's Mansion House speech which the entire Cabinet was signed up to.
"Following last week's sub-committee meeting, it was agreed that there are unresolved issues in relation to both models and that further work is needed.
"The Prime Minister asked officials to take forward that work as a priority."
The spokesman also confirmed that the issue was not even discussed at this morning's weekly Cabinet meeting, which Mr Johnson had flown back from America to attend.
Mrs May’s inner circle of ministers last week voted six to five against her customs partnership plan, which Eurosceptics said would effectively keep Britain in the single market.
The Prime Minister insisted last weekend she would leave the EU's rules behind - but Leave-backers fear she could fudge an agreement which is effectively the same.
Business Secretary Greg Clark said over the weekend that the lost vote had not killed off her ideas.
Mr Clark had also suggested it was “possible” the UK may not be ready – because of delays with technology – to move to a new customs arrangement until FOUR YEARS after Brexit.
Tory MPs have accused No10 of reviving former Chancellor George Osborne’s anti-Brexit Project Fear.
What is Theresa May’s ‘customs partnership’ plan and why is it controversial?
THE PRIME Minister has repeatedly said the UK will leave the EU’s customs union - which allows us to sell goods tariff-free to other members - after Brexit.
But Theresa May has created anger with her plan to replace it with a so-called “customs partnership”.
It would remove the need for new customs checks at the border and would see the UK collect tariffs set by the EU customs union on goods coming into the country on behalf of Brussels.
Critics say the hybrid system would prevent us from signing our own trade deals with other countries around the world once we exit the EU, one of the main reasons people voted to leave.
The Brexiteers in the Cabinet favour a different customs option, a “maximum facilitation” scheme that would use “trusted trader” initiatives and a hi-tech system at the Irish border.
But this idea – known as “max-fac” – along with the customs partnership, have both been criticised by Brussels as potentially unworkable.
Which means despite what the Government eventually agrees on, it could be rejected in the negotiations at next month’s crunch EU summit.
Brexit champion, Tory backbencher Jacob Rees Mogg added: “This Project Fear has been so thoroughly discredited that you would have thought have it would come to an end by now.”
One senior Tory said: “This is a declaration of war. They have decided they have nowhere else to go. But if enough people get fed up they will ask for a vote of confidence in Theresa May.”
Friends close to BoJo fear he could quit the Cabinet in frustration at being one of the only Leave champions left.
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One said: “Boris is completely fed up. He thinks he is the only one pushing Brexit now. I don’t think it’s a resignation thing at the moment.”
Today sources suggested that Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson could be persuaded to change his mind, and would tip the balance of power at next week's crunch meeting.
If he threw his weight behind the PM, it would give Remainers the upper hand to force through the agreement.
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