Cabinet to get weekly Brexit updates amid fears country not ready

The move will give members of the cabinet a greater chance to challenge the PM on her strategy each week

The cabinet will now have specific weekly updates on Britain’s preparations for Brexit amid concerns the country will not be ready by the time it leaves.

Theresa May’s top team of ministers will be given the briefing by Brexit secretary Dominic Raab as part of the wider cabinet meeting each week.

Key Brexit-backing cabinet figures like Penny Mordaunt, Andrea Leadsom and Esther McVey have been pushing for a greater role in Brexit policy in recent weeks, with it having previously been kept between members of the inner cabinet.

It also follows discontent when Brexit was not put on one cabinet meeting agenda at a crucial moment in negotiations, with ministers left feeling robbed of the chance to challenge Ms May over her strategy.

A spokesman for the prime minister said: “As we move towards exit day, it makes sense that all ministers are informed all that’s taking place in relation to all scenarios.”

He explained that the briefings would take in what preparations and developments are taking place both in relation to no-deal planning and also for planning for a deal.

On Tuesday Mr Raab told ministers that “good progress” was being made, but it comes amid concern that the UK is not ready for the March 29 2019 departure day.

A Hansard Society report on Tuesday suggested that of the 800 changes to legislation through statutory instruments (SIs) needed for Brexit before that date, only 71 have been passed so far.

Ms May’s spokesman said there would be an up-tick in the number of SIs dealt with as Brexit approaches, but a further report on the country’s preparedness is expected from the National Audit Office spending watchdog later this week.

The NAO has previously warned that particular government departments are at risk of being caught out on Brexit day because of the slow pace of preparations.

Key figures in the cabinet, including Ms Mordaunt, Ms McVey and Ms Leadsom, have been pushing Ms May to change tack in her approach to the Bexit negotiations, with the weekly meetings also offering them a new chance to question her and the Brexit secretary more regularly.

There have been reports that the three are on the brink of resigning over the prime minister’s potential concessions to Brussels, made as part of any bid to secure a withdrawal deal in the coming weeks.

At a cabinet earlier in the year that was billed as a crunch Brexit meeting the issue was not put on the agenda and Ms May left immediately afterwards leaving some ministers feeling that a key opportunity for scrutiny was missed.

The PM told Tuesday’s cabinet meeting in 10 Downing Street that preparations for the no-deal scenario continue to be “essential”, but stressed that the government’s priority is to secure a deal.

She told ministers that European Council president Donald Tusk had declared himself ready to call a special Brexit summit if there was “decisive” progress in negotiations, which continue at official level in Brussels.

The government was working “intensively” to find a way on the issue of the backstop which the EU is demanding to keep the Irish border open, she said.