It is the end of what was billed as Theresa May’s “hell week”, but with some cabinet members threatening — in private at least — a wave of resignations if she agrees to keep the UK in a customs union without a definitive time limit, the prime minister’s hell is only just beginning.



On Friday morning, Downing Street insisted May would not sign up to a deal that could lead to a permanent customs union, but repeatedly refused to commit to a set time limit.

Cabinet ministers are now looking for a way out of the standoff. BuzzFeed News understands several senior Tories have discussed the possibility of extending the implementation period by six months, to June 2021, to buy extra time to secure a free trade deal.

The ministers considering the plan believe an extension to the transition would remove the need for a backstop to come into effect because there would be enough time to ensure a future arrangement with the EU was in place.

Under another plan being considered by other cabinet ministers, a mechanism would be devised that would outline how the UK can quit the backstop so there is no risk it will be kept in a customs union forever.

As the cabinet battle rages on, some senior Tories now believe May’s moment of greatest danger is next week, when she attempts to strike a deal with the EU that can keep her government together.

Others believe her most important moment comes when a deal is voted on in parliament. Two Whitehall sources have told BuzzFeed News that Nov. 27 has been pencilled in for the Commons vote if a deal is agreed with the EU. “Hell week is when the deal comes to the Commons,” a government source said.

After months of bluster from May’s critics on both sides of the Commons, Downing Street hoped it could call their bluff. But as the PM enters the six weeks that will determine whether she can get a Brexit deal over the line, she faces explicit threats on multiple fronts.

One Tory aide sums up the situation: “It is a game of chicken with four or five cars heading towards each other. No one knows who is going to swerve away, or if anyone will, or what on earth happens when there is the inevitable smash."