Downing Street lobby briefing on Brexit, Theresa May's leadership, Gavin Williamson and Philip Hammond
3 min read
Here is a summary of this morning's briefing for lobby journalists by the Prime Minister's official spokesman.
BREXIT
On calls for the Prime Minister to set out what kind of Brexit deal the UK wants to strike with the EU, the spokesman said: "We will be entering into a negotiation with the European Union on the end state and achieving that partnership which the Prime Minister believes will be in the interests of the UK and the EU, so it will of course be clear what the UK is seeking to achieve.
On suggestions that the Government could seek a longer-than-expected post-Brexit transition period, the spokesman said: "The PM's been clear. It will be a strictly time-limited implementation period of around two years."
On criticisms of the Prime Minister's leadership over Brexit, the spokesman said: "There were many people who said it wouldn't be possible to complete the first phase, the Prime Minister did that and achieved sufficient progress in December. A clear vision has been set out in Lancaster House and in Florence and we're now moving forward towards agreeing an implementation period and starting discussions on what a future partnership will look like."
On remarks by some peers that they want to "sabotage" the EU Withdrawal Bill when it enters the House of Lords tomorrow, the spokesman said: "It is a vital piece of legislation for delivering the smooth Brexit which is in the interests of everyone in this country and the EU the bill was approved by the House of Commons and we believe that the House of Lords should also be passing this legislation."
THERESA MAY'S LEADERSHIP
On criticisms of Theresa May's performance as Prime Minister by Conservative MPs in recent days, the spokesman said: "There is the work we are doing on Brexit and grasping the many opportunities that Brexit provides, there are those steps that the Prime Minister is taking to ensure that more people are able to get that foot on the housing ladder, and in terms of concrete action in that area you can see more homes being built last year than for a significant number of years beforehand, and also the fact that more than 16,000 people didn't have to pay stamp duty. You can see action that the Prime Minister and her ministers are taking in relation to the environment setting out a 25-year plan to reduce the use of plastics and create cleaner air. You can see the action being taken in schools, where standards are increasing and more than a million more children are being taught in better schools than when the Government came to power, you can look at the extra funding the Prime Minister is getting into the NHS via the Chancellor's Budget. The Government is making progress in areas that are important to the public."
GAVIN WILLIAMSON
On the Defence Secretary's admission of a "flirtatious" relationship with a former work colleague, the spokesman said: "This pre-dates the period when the Defence Secretary was either an MP or a minister, so it is a private matter. I don't have anything further to add in relation to this."
PHILIP HAMMOND
On calls by some Tory MPs for the Prime Minister to sack Philip Hammond, the spokesman said: "The Chancellor is doing a good job. Look at the economic statistics in terms of borrowing being lower than expected and in terms of record levels of employment."
