Number 10 lobby briefing on Chequers meeting, customs union and EU migrants
2 min read
Here is a summary of this morning's briefing for lobby journalists by the Prime Minister's official spokesman.
CHEQUERS
On yesterday's meeting of the Cabinet's Brexit sub-committee at Chequers, the spokesman said: "It was a very positive meeting and a step forward, agreeing the basis of the Prime Minister's speech on our future relationship. Discussions will now take place at full Cabinet and you can expect the Prime Minister to deliver her speech next Friday."
CUSTOMS UNION
On a bid by former Tory minister Anna Soubry to force ministers to enter into a customs union with the EU after Brexit, the spokesman said: "The Prime Minister has set out her plans clearly. We're working towards getting a deal which we believe will work for all parts of the UK and deliver as frictionless a border as possible and tariff-free trade. It's in the best interests of the country and would be a good deal for the United Kingdom, and we believe that that is a deal which everyone should be able to support."
MIGRANTS' RIGHTS
On reports that the Prime Minister is set to perform a U-turn on plans to limit the rights of EU migrants who arrive in the UK during the post-Brexit transition deal, the spokesman said: "The PM set out her position in China. That is during the implementation period people from the EU will continue to be able to come and live and work in the UK, but there will be a registration system to prepare for the new regime in terms of people who are arriving after March 2019. They arrive under different circumstances from those who arrive before have different expectations and you would expect their rights to reflect that."
