Senior ministers 'still deadlocked' on key Brexit issues ahead of Chequers summit
2 min read
Theresa May's senior ministers reportedly remain divided on basic aspects of Brexit ahead of a crunch Cabinet summit.
The Sun reports that ministers have been meeting in small groups of two or three to try to thrash out their differences on issues such as regulatory alignment with Brussels.
There have been well-publicised disagreements between the likes of Chancellor Philip Hammond and Brexiteers including Boris Johnson and Michael Gove over which rules the UK will sign up to beyond March 2019.
Tomorrow the Prime Minister will chair a meeting of her so-called Brexit 'war cabinet' at her country residence, Chequers, in a bid to end the deadlock.
“The traditional divides on the committee are still there," a government source told the paper.
“It’s now coming down to the speed at which we diverge which means whether or not to accept new EU rules.
“It looks like the PM will have to finally get off the fence for one side or the other.”
Mrs May is also under pressure from restive Tory eurosceptics, who have signed a letter setting out their own "suggestions" for Brexit, including letting the Government start negotiating its own trade deals "immediately" and giving the UK "full regulatory autonomy" from Brussels.
'A MESS'
Elsewhere the Sun and the Daily Telegraph report claims that Mr Johnson told German officials that Brexit negotiations had become "a mess".
According to the Telegraph, the Foreign Secretary urged the Germans to see Brexit as an economic opportunity.
An ally of Mr Johnson dismissed the claims as "nonsense".
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