Theresa May vows no compromises on Brexit plan as Tory party conference looms
Theresa May has said she will stick to her guns over Brexit and not "give in" to demands for a second referendum.
The Prime Minister said she will "not be pushed" into compromises on her Chequers agreement that are "not in the national interest".
The deal, thrashed out over the summer, would seek to impose close trading and regulatory alignments to keep trade as frictionless as possible and avoid the need for hard border in the Irish sea. It forced the resignation of her Brexit secretary and foreign secretary Boris Johnson who said the deal would make Britain a "rule taker" and prevent it from seeking trade opportunities elsewhere.
There have been growing calls for a second referendum as the date when the UK must leave the EU – 29 March 2019 – fast approaches.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, May said a second referendum would be a "gross betrayal of our democracy and… trust".
"In the summer of 2016, millions came out to have their say. In many cases for the first time in decades, they trusted that their vote would count; that after years of feeling ignored by politics, their voices would be heard.
"To ask the question all over again would be a gross betrayal of our democracy – and a betrayal of that trust.
"We want to leave with a good deal and we are confident we can reach one," she added, while noting that the government has been preparing for a no-deal with the EU.
May's assertions come as the Sunday Times reports that Lynton Crosby, the strategist behind the electoral campaigns of May and her predecessor David Cameron, is plotting to oust her and install Johnson as the next prime minister.
According to the newspaper, Crosby has ordered hardline Brexiters to launch a campaign against Chequers before the Tory party conference later in September.