This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Hardline Eurosceptic MPs have begun to voice concerns over Theresa May’s plans to negotiate a soft Brexit deal.

After a high-stakes Chequers awayday, the prime minister managed to sign up her fractious cabinet to a UK-EU free trade area under a “common rulebook” that will match EU standards on foods and goods.

The plan has alarmed Brexiters, who believe it signals that Britain will in effect remain subject to EU rules and be unable to negotiate new trade deals.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, leader of the European Research Group (ERG) of pro-Brexit Tory MPs, and Andrea Jenkyns both warned that the UK would be a “rule-taker”.

While most ERG MPs remained silent, some signs of dissent slipped through. Marcus Fysh replied to May’s announcement on Twitter at 2.48am on Saturday, saying: “Please see me,” following it five minutes later with: “Moronic.”





Marcus Fysh MP (@MarcusFysh) Please see me

Rees-Mogg said he was waiting to see the full details of the proposals but added: “This will require legislation and if, when we get the detailed legislation, it turns out that it is a punishment Brexit, that it is keeping us in the European Union in all but name, I will stick to the Conservative party’s manifesto commitments and will not vote for it.”

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he would wait to see if the red lines had “been turned pink” but warned that the common rulebook proposal could make “trade deals almost impossible” if it meant regulations would have to apply to any goods coming into the UK.

He added that “it is possible that this deal is worse” than a “no deal” Brexit.



“As with eggs: an egg that is very softly boiled isn’t boiled at all. A very soft Brexit means that we haven’t left, we are simply a rule-taker. That is not something that this country voted for, it is not what the prime minister promised.

“The prime minister will, I’m sure, stick to her word – that is crucially important – but I will certainly stick to the Conservatives’ manifesto commitments and will not vote for something that doesn’t deliver Brexit.”

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Jenkyns complained that “British businesses will continue to be a rule-taker from the EU” and said she would “pray” that the detail was not as bad as she feared.

There is no sign yet of how many MPs are unhappy with the common rulebook proposal, and moderate Tories have supported it.

Heidi Allen said she was “pleased to report Theresa May has secured cabinet agreement for a sensible, soft Brexit”.



The Democratic Unionist party deputy leader, Nigel Dodds, whose party’s votes are crucial to propping up the May government, said he would be meeting ministers to go through the details.



The cabinet Brexiter Chris Grayling acknowledged the proposal could lead to issues in negotiating a US trade deal.



The cabinet statement

The transport secretary said: “I didn’t campaign to leave the European Union to have a different specification of motorcar on sale in the UK to the one that’s on sale in France.

“This is simply saying that we will effectively sell the same products across Europe as we do now – it’s what business does and would do anyway, nobody produces a different product for one country.”

Asked what the common rulebook with the EU on food products would mean for the proposed US trade deal, Grayling told Today: “There may be individual issues to address in future trade talks.”

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The Commons leader, Andrea Leadsom, said: “As a passionate Brexiter with huge optimism about our future as a free-trading nation, I agree with the PM that keeping the UK together is vital.”

The prime minister released a statement following the critical Friday afternoon session of the long-awaited summit.

May said the cabinet had “agreed our collective position for the future of our negotiations with the EU”. That included a proposal to “create a UK-EU free trade area which establishes a common rulebook for industrial goods and agricultural products” after Brexit.

Lord Ashcroft said on Saturday afternoon that he believed environment secretary Michael Gove was the first Brexiter to give the prime minister support.





Lord Ashcroft (@LordAshcroft) I understand that Michael Gove was the first Brexiteer to support the plan proposed by the Prime Minister...

On Thursday, when the common rulebook proposal was first leaked, hardline Brexiter cabinet ministers and Conservative MPs had voiced alarm that it could prevent the UK striking a trade deal with the US, which has different standards in goods and foods, such as allowing chlorine-washed chicken to be sold for human consumption.

But May was able to release the text of a three-page agreed statement before cabinet, following a relatively undramatic day of discussions.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Theresa May and members of her cabinet meet at her country retreat Chequers, where they were told to surrender their phones. Photograph: Getty Images

Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, appeared to react warmly to the proposals, noting in a tweet that the “Chequers discussion on future to be welcomed. I look forward to white paper. We will assess proposals to see if they are workable and realistic”. The CBI and the Institute of Directors business groups also voiced relief.

The former Ukip leader Nigel Farage described it as a sellout. “Theresa May has betrayed us all – and Brexiteer ministers are letting her get away with it,” he said.

The shadow Brexit secretary, Sir Keir Starmer, said: “It is farcical that it has taken two years for the cabinet to even attempt to agree a position on the basics of our future relationship with the EU.

“On previous form, whatever has apparently been agreed will struggle to survive contact with Tory MPs and members.”

The prime minister made clear that she expected ministers would be sacked if they did not remain in line with her soft Brexit blueprint.

She wrote to Tory MPs to explain her plans and included a clear warning about discipline: “As we developed our policy on Brexit, I have allowed cabinet colleagues to express their individual views. Agreement on this proposal marks the point where that is no longer the case and collective responsibility is now fully restored.”



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Ministers had been told to surrender their phones in line with what was described as “standard practice for cabinet meetings” when they arrived at Chequers at about 10am on Friday with none of their advisers there, meaning that they were not able to immediately present their version of events.



May had asked everybody with the right to attend cabinet to be present, a total of 29 people, meaning that a greater proportion of those present were expected to be loyal to her.

Despite speculation that some ministers could stage a walkout through the Buckinghamshire countryside to the nearest train station, there was no sign of Boris Johnson or any other hard Brexiter leaving before dinner.

One minister said that Johnson “was actually very big about it and by dinner spoke passionately in favour of making it work”.