Brexit secretary says Chequers plan is not ‘perfect’ as he urges Tories to back the proposal
Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab today admitted the Prime Minister's EU negotiating plan is not perfect as he appealed to his fellow Tories to back the so-called Cheques proposal.
Speaking at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Raab claimed eurosceptics would have "bitten my arm off" before the 2016 referendum for the deal he and other ministers were now offering.
The Chequers proposal – labelled "deranged" by former foreign secretary Boris Johnson – would see the UK follow EU rules on goods and agri-foods, but plough its own way on services.
Critics believe the plan would see the UK severely restricted in the kinds of trade deals it could negotiate after Brexit, while European Council president Donald Tusk has warned it "will not work" as it threatens the integrity of the EU's Single Market.
Read more: May's Brexit plan 'will not work' says EU in devastating blow to PM
Addressing Tory members and fellow MPs, Raab called for the party to come together to back the plan, saying: "Do I think the deal we are pursuing is perfect? Of course not.
"Is it everything I wanted? No it isn’t.
"This is a negotiation, there have been compromises.
"We're not decoupling as quickly or as completely as some would like, and we have been prepared to accept certain EU requirements, in order to secure our own interests."
He added: "To those of my fellow Eurosceptics who think it's not good enough, I say this: if I'd told you three years ago that we were going to end free movement, stop the vast annual budget contributions, leave the Single Market, get out of the customs union, pursue an independent trade policy, make Parliament supreme, protect the Union, exit the Common Fisheries Policy, and ditch the Common Agricultural Policy, you'd have bitten my arm off."
Turning his attention to the EU, Raab echoed Theresa May's call for Brussels to put forward counter-proposals to tackle the concerns they have over the UK's offer.
"If the EU want a deal, they need to get serious," said Raab, adding: "and they need to do it now."
He went on: "As in any negotiation, we will listen to alternative ways of delivering on the strategic criteria we have set out.
"Because a good deal would be the best outcome for everyone, but our willingness to compromise is not without limits."