Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn’s plot to thwart Boris Johnson from delivering clean Brexit by setting their unity deal in stone
The PM has bowed to Corbyn’s demands and Tory MPs fear she will keep Britain in a Customs Union – a move fiercely opposed by Boris Johnson
THERESA May is plotting to thwart Boris Johnson from delivering a clean Brexit if he becomes the next PM.
She has bowed to Jeremy Corbyn’s demands to make any “unity” deal they strike legally binding.
And in a message to voters last night she insisted that doing business with her Marxist foe was the only way to stop Brexit “slipping through our fingers”.
But writing the compromise into law would tie the hands of her successor – and make it impossible for them to rip up the agreement and start again.
The move has infuriated Tory MPs who want her to quit No10 as soon as she has led Britain out of the EU.
They fear she will crumble to Labour demands to keep Britain in a customs union – a move which is fiercely opposed by leadership hopeful Mr Johnson.
AN 'INSULT TO DEMOCRACY'
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen raged last night: “Theresa May and her team seem intent on chaining us to the rotting corpse of the EU. What an insult to democracy.”
Mrs May faces a revolt by 60 MPs who yesterday vowed to vote down any cross-party deal which breaks their manifesto pledges.
Former Brexit Minister Steve Baker, a member of the European Research Group of MPs, declared: “I can say with some confidence she is in even deeper trouble if she uses Corbyn to break our promises to the British people.
“It was a brief task to discover at least 60 Conservative MPs who will vote against a Brexit deal with Jeremy Corbyn which breaks our manifesto pledges on leaving the EU’s customs union and regulations.
“It would be a terrible idea, especially now we know Britain is ready to exit on World Trade Organisation terms. The PM and the Cabinet must get a grip and get us out.”
DELAY WOULD MEAN 'EARTHQUAKE'
On Saturday night the fourth day of talks ended with no sign of a breakthrough. One insider summed it up, saying: “We are still pretty much in the same place as when it started.”
Mrs May has written to EU Council president Donald Tusk to ask for our departure – scheduled for Friday – to be put back to June 30.
His response will depend on her taking a plan she can get through Parliament to a Brussels summit on Wednesday.
Failure to strike a deal with Labour would mean the EU would only offer her a lengthy delay – possibly of a year or more – raising the chances of Brexit being scuppered completely.
Mrs May was on Saturday warned that putting it off any longer would be a “suicide note” for the Tory party.
Education minister Nadhim Zahawi starkly predicted “seismic” changes to British politics that would be unleashed if our delayed departure meant fighting the EU elections in May.
He said: “The democratic damage it would do would be enormous. The populist parties of the hard right and left would rise and say ‘You haven’t delivered’. It would be an existential threat.”
RED LINES ROW
Chancellor Philip Hammond on Saturday stoked up further fury when he insisted Mrs May has “no red lines” in talks with Labour.
He added: “Some people in the Labour party are making other suggestions to us, of course we have to be prepared to discuss them.
“Our approach to these discussions with Labour is that we have no red lines. We will go into these talks with an open mind and discuss everything with them in a constructive fashion.”
But Mr Corbyn said “I haven’t noticed any great change in the Government’s position so far. I’m waiting to see the red lines move.”
On Saturday Mrs May defended her decision to invite her Labour foe into No0 to hatch a new Brexit deal – and admitted her past failings had left her no choice.
She said: “The longer this takes, the greater the risk of the UK never leaving at all. It would mean letting the Brexit the British people voted for slip through our fingers. I will not stand for that. It is essential we deliver what people voted for and to do that we need to get a deal over the line.
“To achieve this I will go to Brussels this week to seek a short extension to Article 50. My intention is to reach an agreement with my fellow EU leaders that will mean if we can agree a deal here at home we can leave the EU in just six weeks.
“We can then get on with building a new relationship with our nearest neighbours that will unlock the full potential of Brexit and deliver the brighter future that the British people voted for.”
PM's a write-off
By David Wooding
NEARLY 100 grassroots Tory leaders have urged Theresa May to deliver Brexit NOW – then go.
Local party chairmen and councillors have fired off a hard-hitting letter venting their fury at the way the PM has handled the process.
Dinah Glover, London East area chair, said: “We are shocked that she has failed to deliver what she promised to the British people.
“Now that has turned to horror that Mrs May has asked Jeremy Corbyn, a terrorist-loving Marxist, to help her solve Brexit.”
Some activists have threatened to boycott the European elections if the PM seeks a long delay from the EU this week.
Elizabeth Foster, who chairs Twickenham Conservatives, said: “I’ve supported Mrs May through thick and thin but when she got into bed with Corbyn I decided to sign this letter saying enough is enough.”
Downing Street saidt: “People didn’t vote on Brexit along party lines and I think the public want and expect politicians to work together to find a way forward and deliver on the referendum result.
“That may well mean compromise on both sides. While we don’t agree with Labour on many policy issues, on Brexit there are fundamental areas where we do agree - on the need to leave with a good deal, the importance of protecting jobs and security and on ending freedom of movement.
“What matters now is delivering Brexit. The longer that takes the greater the risk of a Second Referendum or not leaving at all.”
The Sun On Sunday Says
LABOUR’S demand that Britain stays in an EU customs union after Brexit would see us shackled on the world stage.
As Liam Fox has pointed out, remaining trapped by Brussels means our once great trading nation would be forced into subservience.
The Trade Secretary told the 1922 Committee this week: “The UK would have a new role – we would ourselves be traded.”
We couldn’t have put it better ourselves, Mr Fox. Brussels would be able to negotiate access to UK markets as EU policy, irrespective of the wishes or the interests of the UK.
Japan would have access to UK markets but we wouldn’t have access to theirs.
We would also be disadvantaged in any trade disputes in response to American tariffs.
Such an outcome would be a disaster for this country and a betrayal of Brexit voters.
Theresa May is flirting with real danger if she is seriously entertaining Jeremy Corbyn’s terms just to get her deal over the line.
Labour even want to tie the hands of whoever succeeds her by writing their demands into legally binding text.
If Brexit is to mean Brexit, this is one red line she must not cross.
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