Brexit deal latest: Cabinet sources say May’s pivotal 5 senior ministers - Raab, Hunt, Javid, Gove and Cox - will back it. Leadsom and Grayling also on board. McVey and Mordaunt so far not.
thesun.co.uk/news/brexit/77…
thesun.co.uk/news/brexit/77…
The detail on the Irish backstop:
1. A UK-wide customs union, and no NI-only version (UK win)
2. An independent panel to arbitrate a ‘good faith’ end mechanism (UK win)
3. No backstop end date or time limit (UK loss)
4. Full level playing field rules apply thru out (UK loss)
1. A UK-wide customs union, and no NI-only version (UK win)
2. An independent panel to arbitrate a ‘good faith’ end mechanism (UK win)
3. No backstop end date or time limit (UK loss)
4. Full level playing field rules apply thru out (UK loss)
One gloomy Cabinet source: “The sad reality of where we are now is a bad deal is better than no deal. There is no time left to stop no deal becoming a disaster”.
No10 source says PM will tell Cabinet the negotiation “has been pushed as far as it can go” and the UK “cannot get any better deal than this one”. Adds: “The PM is firmly of the view that the deal will not be improved by dragging it out any longer”.
Most ominous moment in Cabinet today: Penny Mordaunt asked the PM to suspend collective responsibility to give all ministers a free vote on her deal in Commons. PM didn’t respond (ht @MrHarryCole).
If Cabinet agrees the deal, No10 will begin a massive sales job immediately tomorrow night. All 500 pages of the divorce deal will be published in full, and PM will give a live TV press conference.
...but, Cabinet expected to last at least 3 hours tomorrow afternoon, so it’s going to be another long night.
Final thought for tonight: I hear the draft Future Framework will also be published tomorrow. It’s only 15 pages long and means all things to all men, Chequers as well as Canada. It will either fool everyone or no one.
