Theresa May came under increasingly heavy fire from Conservative Brexiteers today as she reopened negotiations with Labour on a possible customs union.
A top-level list of ministers and shadow ministers were taking part in the renewed discussions at the Cabinet Office including Environment Secretary Michael Gove, deputy premier David Lidington and shadow chancellor John McDonnell.
Mrs May’s push for a deal came as one of the country’s most respected election experts said the Tories would do badly if polls for the European Parliament go ahead on May 23 — a prospect that the Prime Minister hopes to avert by striking a Brexit breakthrough with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Professor Sir John Curtice, of Strathclyde University, predicted that Ukip and Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party could double their vote share from eight to 16 per cent or more at the expense of Mrs May’s party. “It’s the Conservative Party, inevitably, who have most to worry about that,” he said. It was less clear that Mr Corbyn’s rivals, the new Change UK and the Liberal Democrats, would put on votes. “To that extent, the Labour Party has somewhat less to worry about,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today.
European Research Group member Andrew Bridgen warned Mrs May that she would “completely split” the Tories if she strikes a deal with Mr Corbyn for a customs union. “There would be far more Conservatives voting against a customs union than voting in favour of it,” he told the Standard. “She would need the support of all the Labour Party to get it through and it would split the Conservative Party completely.”
Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin accused Mrs May of “constantly” caving in to pro-EU MPs and European leaders. Speaking on Sky, he branded the extension of Brexit to October as “water torture” and went on: “This represents a massive U-turn on the part of the Prime Minister. She was only as recently as March 20 saying we are going to leave on June 30 at the very latest.
“She has constantly caved in to remainers in the Cabinet, remainers in Parliament and remainers in the European Commission.”
Mrs May alarmed Tory MPs by telling the Commons yesterday there was “actually more agreement” between Downing Street and Labour over a customs union than it appeared.
Mr Farage was launching his new party in Coventry this morning. “We have been betrayed and the fightback begins today,” he told Today. The Government denied reports it has wound up emergency planning for a no-deal Brexit.
