Leading Brexiteer Penny Mordaunt is third MP to refuse PM’s Chequers plan
Leading Brexiteer Penny Mordaunt last night became the third Cabinet minister to publicly refuse to endorse Theresa May’s Chequers plan.
She pointedly avoided backing Mrs May’s blueprint, instead simply saying she “supports” the PM.
Her stance comes after Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said they were open to a looser Canada-style trade deal with the EU.
In another blow to the PM, The Spectator last night reported that three of her most influential Cabinet ministers had joined a group of Brexiteers discussing how and when to force Mrs May to ditch her proposal in favour of the Canada route.
The magazine said they will wait until after next week’s Tory conference to move. But they will ensure she has abandoned Chequers and adopted a Plan B by the time she heads to next month’s EU summit.
Mrs May was given a fresh headache last night when ex-Home Secretary Amber Rudd claimed Remainer Tory MPs would rebel to block any Canada-style deal.
MOST READ IN POLITICS
She told ITV’s Peston there were “about 40 of us” who would not back such a move.