Brexit: Theresa May is losing the confidence of colleagues as negotiations stall, says ex-minister
Prime Minister Theresa May is losing Cabinet members’ trust in her ability to reach a Brexit agreement, a former minister claimed today, accusing both the UK and EU of secretly hoping for a no-deal scenario.
May and her EU counterparts are running down the clock towards a no-deal Brexit, said Tory MP Nick Boles, who served as skills minister between 2014 and 2016.
“I’m afraid she is losing the confidence now of colleagues of all shades of opinion – people who’ve been supportive of her throughout this process,” Boles told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
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“They are close to despair at the state of this negotiation because there is a fear that both the government and the European Union are trying to run out the clock. That they’re trying to leave this so late that they can then credibly say there is no alternative but a no-deal Brexit and most people agree that would be chaos.
“Now that is not an acceptable way for a leader of a government to behave.”
Meanwhile, May said this morning that she is open to extending the UK’s transition period with the EU until the end of 2021, without actually having to use it.
The transition period would see the UK abide by EU rules as it prepares to exit the bloc in order to allow businesses to adapt to the change.
“I’m clear that I expect the implementation period to end at the end of December 2020,” May told EU leaders at a summit, according to Reuters. “The point is that this would not have to be used.”
It comes after she attempted to convince EU leaders yesterday that a Brexit deal is still possible after talks between negotiators stalled last weekend.
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One key issue was how to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland, with Brussels preferring to keep Northern Ireland inside the customs unions while using the Single Market as a so-called ‘backstop’ plan.
May has proposed keeping the entire UK in a customs plan with the EU on a temporary basis.
“If there is a gap between the end of the implementation period and the point at which the future relationship comes in – we don’t expect a gap to exist, but if there is, we want to ensure there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland,” the Prime Minister told media yesterday.