Brexit: Government has "no plans" for talks with opposition MPs, 'Final say' referendum possible

Rob Merrick
Indepdent
Sat, 19 Jan 2019 11:14 UTC

© Desconocido

Prime minister will instead meet 'a large number' of cabinet deeply split over whether to compromise or stand firm

Theresa May's pledge to reach a cross-party consensus to solve the Brexit crisis appears to have fizzled out with no further talks planned.

Downing Street said the prime minister would instead be meeting with "a large number" of her cabinet, both in small groups and in one-to-one conversations.

There are also "no plans" for cabinet members Michael Gove and David Lidington - who have met senior backbenchers from other parties - to hold further talks, a spokesperson said.

Asked about the prime minister's focus, she added: "Today is about discussing this week with her cabinet colleagues."

The impasse comes after opposition MPs who emerged from the earlier talks suggested ministers had shown no willingness to compromise on the Brexit red lines.

And it increases the odds that when Ms May presents her plan B to the Commons on Monday, it will simply be a holding statement - rather than including any proposed changes to her deal.

Crucially, the statement can then be amended by supporters of a Final Say referendum, or those who prefer a softer Norway-plus exit, or to try to block the threat of a no-deal Brexit.

The prime minister has spoken with Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, despite no date for her to reopen negotiations officially with the European Union.

No 10's spokeswoman said: "That is just part of her ongoing engagement with the European leaders and you can expect her to continue that type of engagement through the course of the weekend."

And, asked if Ms May was ruling out a snap general election, after a report that civil servants had been asked to draw up contingency plans, she replied: "Yes."

In the talks held so far, pro-Brexit Tories have come out the happier, convinced the prime minister will stick to ruling out a customs union, an Article 50 extension or a fresh referendum.

The cabinet talks are likely to confirm it is deeply split between some members urging compromise, while others tell Ms May she must fight on to pass her deal on a second vote.

Penny Mordaunt, the international development secretary, heightened the pressure by calling for a tougher commitment to crashing out of the EU without an agreement if necessary.

"It's only when #nodealisbetter than a bad deal" is believed by the EU that we'll maximise our chance of a deal, she tweeted.

And Arlene Foster, the Democratic Unionist Party leader, dismissed a claim that the DUP were willing to embrace a softer Brexit, provided Northern Ireland will not be treated differently.

"The prime minister is very clear on our position. We have been consistent that for us it is the backstop which needs to be dealt with," she said.

Although Ms May's motion can be amended, that cannot happen until a debate on 29 January - and could reveal there is no majority for any alternative course of action.

Comment: MEP Nigel Farage expands on the rumours of the possibility of a second referendum:

'2nd EU referendum would take more than one year' claims govt, as Farage hints at return

The UK government claims that a second EU referendum would take over a year to organize, according to official ministerial guidance leaked to the media, as Nigel Farage hints at returning via a different "vehicle."

The Telegraph's chief political correspondent Christopher Hope, took to social media to tweet that he had been given the official guidance drawn up by civil servants at the Cabinet Office. According to the leaked document, it would take a minimum of 14 months to pass the necessary legislation through parliament to carry out a second referendum.

Pro-EU campaigners and politicians such as Caroline Lucas from the Green Party, the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon and the Liberal Democrats' Vince Cable, have all urged UK PM Theresa May to keep the possibility of a second EU referendum on the table. May has been hostile to the idea up to now.

SECOND REFERENDUM TIMELINE

• Primary legislation (seven months)
• Electoral Commission question testing (12 weeks)
• Secondary legislation (six weeks)
• Designation of campaigns and the actual campaign (16 weeks)

A number of MPs have rubbished the government's estimations, including some of their own Tory politicians. Prominent 'people's vote' advocate, Dominic Grieve MP, called the timetable wrong and said that the government "must be aware of it themselves." Another, Dr Phillip Lee, who resigned his frontbench post over May's Brexit deal, labeled the guidance "nonsense."

It comes as former UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who quit the party in December, has said that he fears the UK is heading towards another referendum and that he is willing to fight another campaign - not with UKIP, but via an alternative "vehicle."

Farage told Sky News: "I think, I fear that the House of Commons is going to effectively overturn that Brexit. To me, the most likely outcome of all of this is an extension of Article 50. There could be another referendum."

May will present her 'plan b' Brexit proposal to parliament on Monday, with MPs voting on her alternative plan on January 29. She's been urged by many MPs to remove her redlines to get a deal through the House of Commons.

See also:

• Still Confused About Brexit? It's Actually Pretty Simple..
• Brexit: A Political Farce Based on a Public Lie
• EU loves British money more than it loves democracy

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