As Brexit divisions widen, PM May challenges Brexit critics

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As Brexit divisions widen, PM May challenges Brexit critics

By Elizabeth Piper, Kylie MacLellan and William James

 

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May sits next to Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson as she holds the first Cabinet meeting following the general election at 10 Downing Street, in London June 12, 2017. REUTERS/Leon Neal/Pool/Files

 

BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May called on her party on Sunday to unite behind her plan to leave the European Union, making a direct appeal to critics by saying their desire for a free trade deal was at the heart of her Brexit proposals.

 

At the start of what is set to be one of the Conservative Party's stormiest annual conferences, May's plans were once again attacked by two former ministers, with her ex-foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, calling them "deranged".

 

But she also won strong backing from other Brexit supporting ministers, with trade minister Liam Fox and foreign minister Jeremy Hunt turning their anger against the EU, for "taunting Theresa May, one of the most unfailingly polite people".

 

Just six months before Britain is due to leave the EU in the country's biggest shift in foreign and trade policy in more than 40 years, the debate over how to leave the bloc is still raging in the centre-right Conservative Party, and even in government.

 

May's already fragile leadership was put under further pressure this month when the EU rejected parts of the so-called Chequers plan. But she put a positive spin on those talks, saying she was ready to consider the EU's concerns.

 

"My message to my party is let's come together and get the best deal for Britain," May told the BBC in the central English city of Birmingham.

 

"At the heart of the Chequers plan is a free trade deal, a free trade area and frictionless trade ... Chequers at the moment is the only plan on the table that delivers on the Brexit vote ... and also delivers for the people of Northern Ireland."

 

May has shown little sign of shifting away from her Chequers plan, named after her country residence where she hashed out an agreement on Brexit with her ministers in July, despite growing criticism that her proposals offer the worst of all worlds.

 

Johnson, who quit May's cabinet after Chequers was agreed, called her plans "deranged" and attacked the prime minister for not believing in Brexit.

 

He, and the former Brexit minister David Davis, are pushing for a Canada-style free trade deal with the EU - a proposal May says will split Northern Ireland from mainland Britain by making the British province adhere to different customs rules.

 

Michael Gove, May's environment minister, dismissed his former Brexit ally's proposals to leave the EU, which have been dubbed "super Canada".

 

"I'm in favour of a super Britain deal," he told an event on the sidelines of the conference. The prime minister has put forward a proposal, which I support."

 

EU TAUNTING "BEYOND THE PALE"

May's team had hoped the party's conference would give her a platform to renew her pledge to help those people who are "just about managing", trying to pull the focus away from Brexit and on to a more domestic agenda where some party officials fear the main opposition Labour Party is gaining the upper hand.

 

But her first announcement - for an additional levy on foreign home buyers - did little to reset the conversation, with Sunday dominated again with Brexit, a possible leadership campaign and the prospect of an early election.

 

The conference has become the chance for those ministers with leadership ambitions to parade in front of the party faithful. Johnson's successor at the foreign office, Jeremy Hunt, gave a speech that, for some, sent a strong signal of intent.

 

Johnson's interview in the Sunday Times in which he said, unlike May, he was a true Brexit believer, was also seen by many to be the start of a campaign for the top job - something that angered some Conservatives who are critical of the former foreign minister.

 

Ian Lavery, chairman of the opposition Labour Party, said the Conservatives were "clearly too busy fighting amongst themselves and have neither the ideas nor the desire to offer real solutions to the problems they have caused".

 

Even though May has stuck to her Chequers plan and on Sunday won at least the outward support of most of her ministers, the EU rubbished some of her proposals at a summit in Austria this month.

 

"We have a right to expect our EU partners to engage seriously, and with respect, on our shared future relationship," Fox said. "I'm sure I wasn't the only one after Salzburg to feel that the taunting of Theresa May, one of the most unfailingly polite people I have ever met, was absolutely beyond the pale."

 

(Writing by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Keith Weir and Jane Merriman)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-10-01

[Dogmatix]

Brexit was not the official policy of any political party before the referendum. Divisions within the Tory Party led to the referendum because David Cameron naively thought it would definitely be defeated but that allowing it to be held would weaken the raving loony right wing of his own party and get them out of his hair, so he could enjoy his second premiership. He put personal gain above the country's benefit, miscalculated and lost.  

 

Now further divisions and miscalculations from the now obviously unfit to rule Tory Party are pushing the nation over a cliff under an incompetent prime minister who was pro-remain but now pretends to be pro-leave for personal gain to avoid being ousted by the raving loony Tories.  The Brexit campaign was based purely on lies and deceptions which are now obvious to all. Time to reverse the Brexit idiocy now.  

Edited October 1, 2018 by Dogmatix

[dunroaming]

13 minutes ago, Dogmatix said:

Brexit was not the official policy of any political party before the referendum. Divisions within the Tory Party led to the referendum because David Cameron naively thought it would definitely be defeated but that allowing it to be held would weaken the raving loony right wing of his own party and get them out of his hair, so he could enjoy his second premiership. He put personal gain above the country's benefit, miscalculated and lost.  

 

Now further divisions and miscalculations from the now obviously unfit to rule Tory Party are pushing the nation over a cliff under an incompetent prime minister who was pro-remain but now pretends to be pro-leave for personal gain to avoid being ousted by the raving loony Tories.  The Brexit campaign was based purely on lies and deceptions which are now obvious to all. Time to reverse the Brexit idiocy now.  

If only it were that easy!  It is massively destructive and the scars will be around for some considerable time but I fear trying to reverse it would create anarchy.

[nauseus]

21 minutes ago, Dogmatix said:

Brexit was not the official policy of any political party before the referendum. Divisions within the Tory Party led to the referendum because David Cameron naively thought it would definitely be defeated but that allowing it to be held would weaken the raving loony right wing of his own party and get them out of his hair, so he could enjoy his second premiership. He put personal gain above the country's benefit, miscalculated and lost.  

 

Now further divisions and miscalculations from the now obviously unfit to rule Tory Party are pushing the nation over a cliff under an incompetent prime minister who was pro-remain but now pretends to be pro-leave for personal gain to avoid being ousted by the raving loony Tories.  The Brexit campaign was based purely on lies and deceptions which are now obvious to all. Time to reverse the Brexit idiocy now.  

 

But an EU referendum was included in the official Conservative manifesto before the 2015 GE. Pressure for a referendum has been building for decades and the result of it showed that it was fair to have one. Previous promises for referenda were repeatedly broken by various governments over 25 years. The 2016 Brexit campaigns were not all based on lies but both the leave and remain campaigns included about an even share of these.   

 

Th result

[allane]

33 minutes ago, dunroaming said:

If only it were that easy!  It is massively destructive and the scars will be around for some considerable time but I fear trying to reverse it would create anarchy.

Don't reverse it. Let the fools who voted "Leave" live with the consequences of their decision.

Why would the EU want to negotiate with the UK now, while the UK is still a member ? If the EU has the intestinal fortitude to do nothing for just 180 more days, Britain will be on the outside looking in. After letting Britain stay outside for some suitable period ( perhaps 5 to 10 years), the EU could possibly consider talks if the UK asked very politely, and stood in the queue behind North Macedonia, Moldova, and whatever other banana republics might be in the queue by that time. 183, 182, 181, 180......

[dunroaming]

16 minutes ago, allane said:

Don't reverse it. Let the fools who voted "Leave" live with the consequences of their decision.

Why would the EU want to negotiate with the UK now, while the UK is still a member ? If the EU has the intestinal fortitude to do nothing for just 180 more days, Britain will be on the outside looking in. After letting Britain stay outside for some suitable period ( perhaps 5 to 10 years), the EU could possibly consider talks if the UK asked very politely, and stood in the queue behind North Macedonia, Moldova, and whatever other banana republics might be in the queue by that time. 183, 182, 181, 180......

Plenty of savvy people voted leave along with the "fools", as you call them.  It all depended on which brand of rhetoric you chose to believe at the time.  Not sure that the UK will be in a queue to re-join the EU after Brexit though. Unless there is radical change.  Unfortunately we will be on the outside and so won't have a chance to be instrumental in that change, should it come. I think we will take the hit and move on.  It will be painful and disruptive initially but we have a lot to offer as a country and will survive.

 

  

[dunroaming]

Easy for me to be sanguine about it now as I have set up a base in Holland just in case it all goes t*ts up in Blighty.  Still going through the education system for my son but that should be OK for the three years that are left.