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CHEQMATE, MAY
Theresa May’s Soft Brexit wins as Brexiteers get handed crushing defeat at Chequers epic summit
THERESA May has claimed a crushing victory over Brexiteer ministers as she forced her Cabinet to back her vision of a soft Brexit during a crunch summit at her Chequers country retreat.
After a marathon all day summit, the Prime Minister hailed a “collective agreement” for a controversial 12 point plan that will tie Britain to Brussels rules for goods and mirror EU judges diktats.
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A proposed new “UK-EU Free Trade Area” will see a “combined customs territory” set up in a bid to solve the Northern Irish border headache.
Under these plans Britain will be forced to collect tariffs on goods on behalf of Brussels - despite firm objections to this from David Davis and Boris Johnson.
But there were no immediate walk outs from the government despite criticism from the Leave supporting ministers - to the relief of Downing Street.
However one senior Brexiteer said: “This looks to me as though we have reneged on the Referendum.”
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Soft Brexit movers and shakers
- Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt
- Brexit Secretary David Davis
- Director of Communications at 10 Downing Street Robbie Gibb
- Environment Secretary Michael Gove
- International Trade Secretary Liam Fox
- International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt
- Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson
- Director of Policy in the Europe Unit at the Cabinet Office Catherine Webb
- Special advisor to the Prime Minister Ed de Minckwitz
- Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson
- Home Secretary Sajid Javid
- Director of the Europe Unit at the Cabinet Office Jonathan Black
- Deputy Chief Executive of HMRC Jim Harra
- Education Secretary Damian Hinds
- Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley
- Chancellor Philip Hammond
- Energy Minister Claire Perry
- Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes
- Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey
- Transport Secretary Chris Grayling
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And critics warned the agreement was a “recipe for total capitulation to Brussels” after a tentative welcoming of the new deal from EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier.
Pro-Brexit groups were scathing of the PM's Brexit blueprint.
In a withering assessment Leave Means Leave boss John Longworth said the PM had "totally misled" 17.4million voters and branded her plans a "fake Brexit".
He added: We will be controlling neither laws, nor trade, nor borders. A total, humiliating capitulation.”
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But Europhile business groups hailed the PM's plans as a "genuine confidence boost".
The pro-Brussels Confederation of British Industry said it was proof the Government was listening to warnings from big firms.
Vote Leave chief and Environment Secretary Michael Gove played a key role in winning the peace for the PM by siding with her in order to isolate the hardline Brexiteers.
The Sun Says: Blank Cheque
THE Chequers Summit is a vital step towards Brexit, but there’s a long way to go.
There are no done deals.
A plan may have been cooked up but it still needs to get past the EU — and the continent’s leaders are showing no sign of compromise.
Angela Merkel is already rubbishing our proposal.
The Napoleonic Emmanuel Macron thinks he’s a political messiah, and he’d rather see us punished than give up on his federalist promised land.
And Michel Barnier’s dangled “concessions” amount to a demand for total UK capitulation.
With that level of zeal and stubbornness, it’s no wonder we voted in our millions to leave.
We must now go to Brussels with an offer that guarantees control of our borders and sign our own trade deals.
But we mustn’t for a second think that they’ll just say yes to it, nor can the PM let them fatally weaken it.
It is galling that ministers have spent more time fighting between themselves than preparing for a “no deal” exit.
But it isn’t too late.
New technology can ensure that Whitehall and our borders are ready for a clean break, which considering the strength of our economy and our companies is nothing to be scared of.
The PM has dumped many of her earlier Brexit slogans. But she should remember one in particular now.
No deal really is better than a bad deal, and we must still prepare for it.
Mrs May will now publish a White Paper and address MPs on Monday - setting up a long summer of negotiations with Brussels on the offer.
The PM said she was hopeful of the details being well received by EU leaders, adding: “Now we want to get on at pace, negotiate this with the EU and bring prosperity and security to people.”
Despite bitter divisions within her top team, Mrs May was able to convince a majority of her 29 ministers around to the climbdown plan during four hours of debate in the her sweltering 16th county mansion in Buckinghamshire.
Nigel Farage vows on LBC to return to frontline politics if Theresa May delays Brexit
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The Soft Brexit agreement in 6 bullet points
THERESA May’s UK-Free Trade Area:
- “Common rulebook” would keep British producers bound by EU rules on goods - including farmers.
- Parlament would oversee these rules - but deciding not to abide by them would have “consequences”.
- Joint UK-EU “Joint Committee” to oversee and rule on disputes but these would be settled based on more than 40 years of EU laws.
- Britain to effectively stay in the EU’s customs union - described as a “combined customs territory” - to avoid hard border with Ireland.
- Britain to be responsible for collecting EU tariffs and implementing EU trade policy for goods passing through the UK.
- Britain to leave EU rules for services - with banks losing crucial EU passporting rights that allows them to sell their services across Europe.
Sources claimed that Environment Secretary Michael Gove, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson and Home Secretary Sajid Javid were instrumental in backing the PM’s plan to tip the balance in favour of the PM and leaving the Brexiteers like Boris Johnson and David Davis isolated.
Another source said the talks went on for “four hours” with lunch and dinner served in the grand house, insisting: “There was plenty of good humour and it was low on tension”.
But another insider added there were “obviously fraught moments”.
As news of the deal filtered across Whitehall insiders expressed their shock at “the scale of the climbdown”, expressing surprise that no Brexit minister had quit over the deal.
What was on the menu at Chequers summit?
BUFFET LUNCH
MAIN COURSE
BBQ chicken thighs
SALADS
Wheat, beetroot, squash and feta cheese
New potato salad from the Chequers estate
Mixed salad leaves from the Chequers estate
Summer tomato salad with pomegranate dressing
PUDDINGS
Scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam from the Chequers estate
Sticky tea loaf
Fruit platter
FORMAL DINNER
STARTER
Whiskey-and-treacle-cured Scottish salmon, smoked over whiskey barrel chips
Homemade sourdough bread
MAIN COURSE
Oxfordshire beef fillet with crispy shin
Baby leeks
Turned potatoes from the Chequers estate
Rich beef gravy
PUDDING
Marmalade bread-and-butter pudding
English custard and orange ice cream
The Brexit Summit - Theresa May warns ministers they’ll be stripped of official cars if they quit after Brexit summit at her country home Chequers
There was anger that No10 released details of the terms of the deal hours before critical ministers at the summit were given back their mobile phones.
And MPs cautioned that the fact Brussels Brexit boss Michel Barnier was “welcoming this White Paper as just a start” meant they were already publicly expecting the UK to slide further towards the EU.
Earlier in the day Mr Barnier had opened the EU’s door to compromises by repeatedly refusing to criticise the PM.
He said: “I have real respect for Theresa May and I know that her duty, her daily work is not so easy.”
Brexit borders backlash
THERESA May risks a Brexit borders backlash after the Government set out plans for “mobility” deal on EU citizens seeking a job.
The PM vowed to end free movement by giving the UK control over “how many people enter the country”.
But a document setting out Britain’s plan for a future relationship with Brussels set out plans for a “mobility framework” that would allow UK and EU citizens “to travel to each other’s territories and apply for study and work”.
The document added this would be “similar to what the UK may offer other close trading partners in the future.”
Home Secrertary Sajid Javid is only expected to set out Britain’s post Brexit immigration plans AFTER a provision deal with the EU is agreed this October.
During a conciliatory speech at the Irish embassy in Brussels, the Frenchman also called on both sides to “de-dramatise” the Northern Irish border issue.
And he hinted that the EU is waiting to kickstart the negotiations on renewed terms if Mrs May softens her red lines.
But one MP said: “I need to see the detail but I’m extremely wary.
“It sounds to me like we’re going to be rule taker rather than the a rule maker.
“It’s feels we are danger of total capitulation to Brussels.”
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And Brexiteer critics were giving an unlikely boost from arch-remainer Sir Nick Clegg who said they were right to reject Mrs May’s third way custom fudge that would lead to “vast red tape” while “smugglers would boom” and “Parliament left humiliated” as a simple rubber stamper.
Tempers had already reached boiling point in the run up to the summit after Downing Street publicly warned one in Government who quit could watch her soft-Brexit march continue from the sidelines.
No10 insiders revealed emergency reshuffle plans were already in place incase of Ministerial walkouts from her crunch Brexit summit.
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The day was broken into three sections with the first seeing Brexit guru Olly Robbins brief ministers on the “Available Outcomes in Light of the EU’s Current Position”.
But the testy exchanges were seen in the afternoon’s session titled The UK’s Proposed Approach”.
Before the ministers had even sat down around the table Downing Street infuriated them by warning that they would have to get a taxi home as they would be stripped of their limos immediately if they walked out in protest.
A senior Government source said: “Taxi cards for Aston’s taxis the local cab firm are in the foyer for those who decide they can’t face making the right decision for the country but it will still be a long walk as it is a mile long driveway.
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The official raged: “A select number of narcissistic, leadership dominated cabinet ministers need to support the PM in the best interests of the UK or their spots will be taken by a talented new generation of MPs who will sweep them away.”
And The Sun revealed that the whips had summoned dozens of junior ministers for a series of meetings to sound them out over the PM’s plans as possible future cabinet replacements in the case of a mass walkout.
Housing minister Dominic Raab, Crime minister Victoria Atkins and Local Government minister Kit Malthouse were touted as possible replacements.
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