World

Four UK Ministers On The Verge of Quitting May's Government - Reports

A reported four British ministers who support remaining in the European Union are on the verge of quitting the government of Prime Minister Theresa May over the deepening Brexit dispute, the Sunday Times reported.
Sputnik

UK media said that the EU had rejected UK Prime Minister Theresa May's plan for an independent mechanism to oversee Britain's departure from any temporary customs arrangement.

On Friday, UK Transport Minister Jo Johnson said he was standing down after calling the government's Brexit plan a "terrible mistake." In a statement, Johnson said the proposed Brexit plan would leave the country economically weakened, while a no-deal would "inflict untold damage" on the nation.

Brexit Boom? UK Economy Accelerates to Quickest Since Q4 2016
In October, Former UK Brexit Secretary David Davis said in the article published in The Sunday Times that May's Chequers plan was "completely unacceptable," as it was opposite to everything voters had been promised when choosing to leave the bloc.

In early July, Johnson, along with UK Brexit Secretary David Davis, resigned over disagreements with May on customs arrangements within the plan on the country's withdrawal from the European Union agreed upon by Cabinet.

May's Chequers plan, adopted by the Cabinet in July and later rejected by the bloc, envisages the establishment of a UK-EU free trade area based on a "common rulebook" and the refusal to draw a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

READ MORE: Britain May Not Get Brexit Deal With EU — Trade Minister

Meanwhile, a leaked letter from Theresa May revealed that she is in favor of establishing a customs border in the Irish Sea, as has been proposed by Brussels, if no Brexit agreement is reached.

UK on Brink of Biggest Crisis Since World War Two - Jo Johnson on Brexit (VIDEO)
In her letter, seen by The Times, the prime minister said that Brussels was still pushing for the "backstop to the backstop" but insisted that she would never accept this. According to the newspaper, May was accused on Thursday of breaking her promise that there would be no deal separating Northern Ireland from the rest of the country by Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which strongly protests any deal stipulating a different regime for the UK region.

The United Kingdom is scheduled to exit the European Union in March 2019, however, the deadline can be extended if all 28 EU members approve.

READ MORE: Tory MPs Will Vote Down Deal Even Without Irish Backstop — Ex-Brexit Minister

Discuss