Theresa May launches counter-attack at Boris Johnson in their battle for No10 as she tells her Cabinet his Brexit proposals are unworkable
PM ratcheted up her war with the former Foreign Secretary after he slammed her Chequers compromise – but his allies described the document as a ‘hatchet job’
THERESA May has launched a vicious counter-attack at Boris Johnson in their battle for Number 10 this morning.
She circulated a document to her Cabinet ministers warning his rival Brexit proposals are unworkable and would potentially put British jobs at risk.
The Prime Minister took the decision to ratchet up her war with the former Foreign Secretary after he slammed her Chequers compromise.
But his allies described the two-page handout praising the progress made in the negotiations as a result of her White Paper and tearing into the alternatives as a “hatchet job on Boris Johnson”.
The dossier is the second offensive from Downing Street aimed at the man who wants to replace Mrs May behind its famous black door.
Yesterday a spokesman for the PM slapped down the ex-Mayor of London following his stinging attack on the Chequers proposal which he resigned from the Cabinet over.
The battle lines were drawn when he used his newspaper column on Monday to accuse her of heading into negotiations with "the white flag fluttering".
He claimed it was a “scandal” that we “haven’t even tried to get a good deal” and the current situation spells “victory” for Europe.
In response No10 strongly rebuked him, saying: “There’s no new ideas in his article to respond to.”
In a briefing for journalists they pointedly said: “What we need now is serious leadership and a serious plan.”
And today at the first meeting of Mrs May’s top team in weeks a document was shared saying her plan “promotes jobs and protects security and the precious Union between the four nations of the UK, while taking back control of our money, laws and borders so we can spend more on our long-term plan for the NHS, pass our own laws enforced by our Supreme Court and decide for ourselves how many people come into the country”.
It adds: “Nobody else in British politics has a detailed plan for our future relationship that delivers on the instruction of the British people and is negotiable with the EU.”
It also has “quotes that demonstrate we are now making progress in the negotiations”, with supportive comments from Angela Merkel and Leo Varadkar.
But an ally of Mr Johnson told the , who obtained the document, said its “key point” was wrong – in that “the EU have rejected Chequers”.
It comes as The Sun revealed Mrs May tore into her former ally after being warned he may try to oust her this month.
Downing Street sources said aides are on full alert to repel an imminent leadership challenge on the PM by hard Brexiteers.
A faction of Eurosceptic Tory MPs are urging Mr Johnson to strike now in his long-awaited second bid to take the party's top job.
They believe this month is their last chance to sink the Chequers plan before it is accepted as the template for talks between the UK and EU leaders at the next summit in October.
The deepening row has ignited just as Parliament returns from its summer break, with MPs readying themselves for an almighty struggle to decide on the shape of the negotiations with the EU.
Mrs May’s White Paper is coming under fire from all sides, with Eurosceptics pledging to tear it up for keeping us too tied to Brussels once we leave.
Meanwhile ardent Remainers like Justine Greening have also attacked the proposals hammered out by the Cabinet in July.
The ex-Education Secretary claimed the plan is "more unpopular than the poll tax", and the Government should ditch it or face it being voted down by Parliament.
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And this morning a Tory MP threatened to quit the party if the former Mayor of London becomes its next leader.
Leading pro-EU backbencher Heidi Allen has claimed “a lot” of her fellow Conservative Remainers could follow her out of the door, suggesting the party already divided by Brexit could split off entirely.
Former ministers Dominic Grieve and Anna Soubry have also questioned whether they could stay if Mr Johnson takes over.
Voters in Tory marginal seats reject Theresa may’s Chequers plan as ‘bad for Britain’
A POLL on Brexit in a number of Conservative constituencies most at risk of going to Labour at the next election makes for grim reading inside Number 10.
The survey shows three quarters of people were “dissatisfied” with the Government’s current EU strategy
And more than half of those asked said they thought Theresa May’s Chequers compromise was “bad for Britain”.
Meanwhile just 21 per cent of those polled on behalf of the believe the White Paper proposals are good.
Another piece of research out this morning sees 70 per cent of Tory supporters claiming the Government’s plan would be a “bad deal for Britain”.
The results of a survey by the website see just 23 per cent of party loyalists believing the Chequers proposals will lead to a good deal.