Theresa May makes dig at Boris Johnson as she warns Brexit might not happen unless party unites
The PM says Britain risks having 'no Brexit at all' whilst refusing to name-check her controversial Chequers plan
THERESA May warned warring Tories that Brexit might not happen if they do not unite behind her and compromise.
The stark threat came as the Prime Minister refused to name check her controversial Chequers plan in her 64-minute conference speech - in a fresh signal she was prepared to think again.
And in a dig at Boris Johnson and hard-line Leavers she warned: "If we all go off in different directions in pursuit of our own visions of the perfect Brexit, we risk ending up with no Brexit at all."
Aides later said Brexit was secure under the Tories but could not be guaranteed if Jeremy Corbyn gets into No10 because of bitter government civil war.
Ahead of her speech Mrs May unveiled the Cabinet’s most senior lawyer to warn fellow Eurosceptics that there is no perfect EU exit.
Brexiteer barrister Geoffrey Cox QC - who took a huge pay cut to become Attorney General in July - became the unlikely star of the show with a booming speech that delighted delegates.
Bombastic Mr Cox was drowned in applause as he called on the party to unify behind Mrs May and allow her to deliver the "prize that millions voted for" in the referendum. But added “as a lawyer” he knew “the nature of the negotiation is - with apologies to The Rolling Stones - that you can't always get what you want.”
His message was later echoed by the PM who said it was "no surprise we have had a range of different views expressed this week” but "even if we do not all agree on every part of this proposal, we need to come together.”
It came after Mr Johnson urged her to “Chuck Chequers” in his barnstorming fringe appearance on Tuesday.
Mrs May also said her plan was to seek a free trade deal with Brussels, despite calling her for a closer “association" for months.
Theresa May's rare display of humour
THERESA May had the party faithful in stitches as she joked about her conference disaster last year.
In a rare display of humour, Mrs May littered her big speech with gags about BBC hit the Bodyguard as well as her dodgy dancing.
- GAG 1: Referring to saucy telly drama about a bonking Home Secretary, she quipped: “It’s not always glamorous. I have seen the trailers for Bodyguard - and let me tell you it was not like that in my day.”
- GAG 2: After her backdrop collapsed in 2017 and she lost her voice, Mrs May opened with: “You’ll have to excuse me if I cough during this speech; I’ve been up all night supergluing the backdrop.”
- GAG 3: After her dancing in Africa hit the headlines, Mrs May recounted the trip: “I was speaking to some inspiring young people, full of fire and hope for their futures. I think some might even have been inspired to become professional dancers.”
But aides insisted the Government's Brexit policy "remains as it is" and “a free trade agreement is one way of describing what it is.
One said: "She has used the word Chequers many times this week and I think it's fair to say that the Prime Minister will be saying the word Chequers in the future."
Last month The Sun revealed that Tory officials had outlawed the word Chequers from being used in events held in the official Conference secure zone.
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