Brexit 'could slip through our fingers', warns May as she defends decision to approach Labour

Theresa May is says Brexit could 'slip through our fingers'
PA
Jacob Jarvis7 April 2019
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Theresa May has defended her decision to reach out to Labour in a bid to break the Brexit deadlock as she issued a stark warning it might "slip through our fingers".

In a statement on Saturday night, Mrs May said she "had to take a new approach" in working to get a deal through the Commons.

She said agreeing a deal could lead to the UK leaving the European Union in six weeks but a failure could result in no Brexit at all.

In a statement, released after cross-party talks to solve the Brexit impasse stalled, she said: "The longer this takes, the greater the risk of the UK never leaving at all. It would mean letting the Brexit the British people voted for slip through our fingers.

“I will not stand for that. It is essential we deliver what people voted for and to do that we need to get a deal over the line.”

Outlining her next moves, she reiterated she will ask for “short extension” to Article 50 to push back the UK’s Brexit date once again.

“My intention is to reach an agreement with my fellow EU leaders that will mean if we can agree a deal here at home we can leave the EU in just six weeks,” she said.

"We can then get on with building a new relationship with our nearest neighbours that will unlock the full potential of Brexit and deliver the brighter future that the British people voted for."

Jeremy Corbyn's party said the government 'has not offered real change or compromise'
Anthony Devlin/Getty Images

However, the EU seems to be swaying towards granting a longer extension to avoid “rolling” moves to the date if issues are ongoing.

Addressing those who criticised her for reaching out to her opposition counterpart Jeremy Corbyn she said: “I had to take a new approach.”

The PM said this was her only option left in her endeavours to secure a deal, having done “everything in my power” to persuade her own party and its DUP allies to back her Withdrawal Agreement.

Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images

She said: “If we cannot secure a majority among Conservative and DUP MPs we have no choice but to reach out across the House of Commons.

"The referendum was not fought along party lines and people I speak to on the doorstep tell me they expect their politicians to work together when the national interest demands it.

"The fact is that on Brexit there are areas where the two main parties agree: we both want to end free movement, we both want to leave with a good deal, and we both want to protect jobs.

"That is the basis for a compromise that can win a majority in Parliament and winning that majority is the only way to deliver Brexit.”

Keir Starmer said the Government is not making substantial changes to push through agreement
EPA

Despite her call for a revised plan agreed between the two major parties, which her Chancellor Philip Hammond also said he is optimistic about reaching, the Labour cohort in talks appears to be unhappy at this juncture.

The opposition has accused Mrs May of refusing to consider substantive changes to the Political Declaration, a document setting out a framework for the UK's future relationship with the EU.

Jeremy Corbyn, who on Saturday faced a call to back a second referendum from 80 of his MPs, said: "The Labour position is a customs union with the European Union, access to European markets and the retention of regulations for environment, consumers, and workplace rights as a base on which we can build - a dynamic relationship which means we can never fall below them.

"We've set all that out. I haven't noticed any great change in the Government's position so far. I'm waiting to see the red lines move."

Philip Hammond says he is optimistic a deal can be reached
AFP/Getty Images

On Saturday the Chancellor said the Government has no red lines in talks – indicating the possibility of some of Labour’s most jarring demands to Brexiteers gaining traction.

While Mrs May faces obstacles in her much-criticised cross-party plan, she also sees further uprisings within Tory ranks, as Eurosceptics reacted with rage to the possibility of her giving in to Mr Corbyn's demand for a customs union.

Ex-whip Michael Fabricant predicted "open revolt" in the Conservative Party and among those who backed Leave if Mrs May agreed to the move.

Steve Baker, a former Brexit minister, lashed out at efforts to recruit MPs to sign a "toxic" letter endorsing the PM's cross-party efforts.

He said: "At a time when Conservative members and activists are recoiling in horror at the idea of collaborating with Jeremy Corbyn, the No 10 effort to rehabilitate this awful deal and worse strategy to drive it through seems wholly forlorn."

According to the Sunday Telegraph, Conservative activists are refusing to campaign for the party and donations have "dried up" because of Mrs May's leadership.

More than 100 current and would-be Tory councillors state they are unable to muster volunteers to effectively fight next month's local elections because "belief in the party they joined is gone", they said in a letter to the PM.

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