Divisions over Brexit were on display again on Sunday.
International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said a series of speeches planned by Prime Minister Theresa May and other Cabinet ministers in the coming weeks would offer a vision of the sort of relationship the government is seeking with the European Union.
Her comments came following another difficult week for May, who is under pressure from hard-liners in her Conservative Party to make a clean break with the EU.
Even the post-Brexit stepping stone demanded by businesses has been thrown into doubt, with EU negotiator Michel Barnier warning on Friday that Britain could crash out into legal limbo when Britain leaves the EU in March 2019 unless disagreements over the terms of a so-called transition period are resolved.
May has been forced to rule out staying in any sort of customs union by Brexit backers who insist Britain must be free to strike trade deals with countries around the world. The Labour opposition has merely kept open the option of staying in “a” customs union, conscious that its own supporters are divided over Brexit.
Parliament Vote
Among Conservatives arguing for the softest of separations from the EU is Anna Soubry, who made a joint appearance on television with the pro-EU Labour lawmaker Chuka Umunna on Sunday.
Asked by Andrew Marr if she believed there is a majority in the House of Commons to defeat “the kind of Brexit the prime minister wants,” Soubry replied: “If she’s not careful, yes.” Members of Parliament have been promised a “meaningful vote” on the terms of Brexit before it happens in March next year.
Concern that Britain could fail to clinch a transition deal has put pressure on the pound, which had its worst five days since October last week.
Businesses have set a deadline of late March this year to get an agreement pinned down before they activate their contingency plans—moving jobs and business out of the country.
There is almost certainly insufficient time to conclude a full trade deal before Britain leaves the EU, so companies would face legal and regulatory limbo in March next year if there is no transition deal in place. That would mean tariffs would be slapped on goods, and in the worst case, data transfers, air travel and food supplies could also be disrupted.