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Theresa May will not insist on 'end date' for UK staying in EU customs territory, cabinet minister admits

Matt Hancock says looser 'conditions' could be set to provide an escape route – raising the risk of cabinet resignations within days

Deputy Political Editor

Sunday 14 October 2018 16:06 BST

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Health Secretary Matt Hancock: 'end date' for UK staying in EU customs territory 'will be temporary and time-limited'

Theresa May will not insist on an “end date” for the UK staying in the EU customs territory, a cabinet minister has admitted – raising the risk of resignations within days.

Instead, looser “conditions” could be set to try to convince pro-Brexit Tories that the country will not be locked into a union for many years to come, Matt Hancock said.

The health secretary also insisted he saw “absolutely no reason” why Tuesday’s crunch cabinet meeting would spark walkouts over the plan – but admitted he could not rule that out.

Up to nine cabinet ministers are believed to oppose the prime minister’s “backstop” proposals, to avoid a hard border in Ireland, unless they include a set date for the UK’s escape.

Without that legal guarantee, it would leave the EU to decide whether as-yet-unproven technology has produced an alternative solution – and the UK unable to sign its own trade deals indefinitely, they fear.

Asked whether there would be an end date, Mr Hancock said only: “The proposal is that it will be temporary and time-limited.”

Pressed a second time, on the BBCs Andrew Marr Show, he replied: “There are different ways to ensure that something is time-limited. For instance, you can set conditions under which – at the point at which – the arrangements come to an end.”

He added: “There are different ways that you can make sure that something is credibly time-limited.”

The government is believed to be pushing for a “review clause” that could bring an end to the backstop, but its legal strength is unclear and the EU could reject the idea outright.

Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide

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1/14Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide

Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide

Internal divisions in the Conservative Party have exploded into a bitter public row over Boris Johnson‘s “disgusting” criticism of Theresa May. Some senior Tories furiously denounced the former foreign secretary after he accused the prime minister of having ”wrapped a suicide vest” around Britain

Reuters

Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide

Sajid Javid, Home secretary

Sajid Javid, the home secretary, rebuked his former cabinet colleague and said: “I think there are much better ways to articulate your differences.” He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that the public wanted politicians to use “measured language”

BBC/PA

Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide

But other MPs leapt to Mr Johnson’s defence, as dividing lines ahead of a possible leadership contest begin to take shape. The Uxbridge MP has repeatedly criticised Ms May’s Chequers plan and used a newspaper article on Sunday to suggest it amounted to “wrapping a suicide vest around the British constitution”. His latest salvo at the prime minister prompted immediate condemnation, with one minister publicly vowing to end Mr Johnson’s career over the matter

PA

Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide

Alan Duncan, Foreign minister

Alan Duncan, a foreign minister who worked in Mr Johnson’s team for two years, wrote on Twitter: “For Boris to say the PM’s view is like that of a suicide bomber is too much. This marks one of the most disgusting moments in modern British politics. “I’m sorry, but this is the political end of Boris Johnson. If it isn’t now, I will make sure it is later.”

Getty

Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide

James Brokenshire, Housing secretary

Housing secretary James Brokenshire added his voice to the criticism, calling Mr Johnson’s comments ”wrong” He said: “I think he is wrong on this...I think the tone that he has used isn’t right and I think that we just need to be very focused on actually moving forward with the Chequers plan.”

AFP/Getty

Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide

Zac Goldsmith

But as Tory hostilities spilled over into open public warfare, Richmond Park MP Zac Goldsmith, an ally of Mr Johnson, hit back at Mr Duncan. He wrote: “There are a number of possible motives behind this tweet, but given its author, we can be certain ‘principles’ aren’t one of them.”

Getty

Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide

Jacob Rees-Mogg

Senior Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg told The Independent he thought Mr Johnson’s “suicide belt” accusation was little more than “a characteristically colourful catchphrase”. He added: “I agree with the sentiment. The criticism of Boris’s wording merely serves to highlight his point. It means more people hear of Boris’s criticism of Chequers and many will agree with him.”

Reuters

Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide

Nadine Dorries

Nadine Dorries, another Brexit supporter, said Mr Johnson’s opponents were “terrified of his popular appeal”, adding: “Don’t underestimate the vitriol that’ll be directed towards Boris today. He delivered the Leave vote, Remainers and wannabe future PMs hate him.” If Mr Johnson became leader and prime minister he would deliver a “clean and prosperous” Brexit, she said

Rex

Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide

Andrew Bridgen

Andrew Bridgen said Ms May was to blame for her leadership problems. Asked if Mr Johnson had put a bomb under her leadership, Mr Bridgen said: “I think that Theresa May did that herself when she put forward the Chequers proposals without consulting widely prior to that.”

Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide

Steve Baker, former Brexit minister

Steve Baker, the former Brexit minister, warned Ms May the Conservatives faced a "catastrophic split" if she did not jettison her Chequers plan. Mr Baker, who quit the government in July over the scheme, said: “When negotiating, the prime minister needs to demonstrate her intent and also her power to deliver. "If we come out of conference with her hoping to get Chequers through on the back of Labour votes, I think the EU negotiators would probably understand that if that were done, the Tory party would suffer the catastrophic split which thus far we have managed to avoid.” But he insisted he did not want a change in the Conservative leadership, saying Brexiteers did “not want to be in a position of conflict with our own prime minister”

Reuters

Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide

Tom Tugendhat

The deep divisions on the Tory benches were laid bare as Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee and is a possible leadership rival to Mr Johnson, also hit out at the former foreign secretary. Recalling how he encountered a suicide bomber in Afghanistan during his time in the army, Mr Tugendhat told Mr Johnson to “grow up”. He said: “A suicide bomber murdered many in the courtyard of my office in Helmand. The carnage was disgusting, limbs and flesh hanging from trees and bushes. Brave men who stopped him killing me and others died in horrific pain. “Some need to grow up. Comparing the PM to that isn’t happy.”

PA

Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide

Alistair Burt

Alistair Burt, another Foreign Office minister who worked in Mr Johnson’s team, said: “I’m stunned at the nature of this attack. There is no justification for such an outrageous, inappropriate and hurtful analogy. “If we don’t stop his extraordinary use of language over Brexit, our country might never heal. Again, I say, enough.”

AFP/Getty

Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide

It comes amid that Ms May’s former aides drew up a dossier on Mr Johnson’s sexual encounters with the aim of undermining his leadership prospects. The document was compiled in 2016, when the Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP was seen as the main rival to Ms May in her bid to enter No 10. Downing Street and Conservative Campaign Headquaters (CCHQ) both denied having leaked the 4,000 word memo after it was circulated around Westminster

AFP/Getty

Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide

Mr Johnson confirmed that his 25-year marriage to wife Marina had ended

AP

Negotiations are continuing in Brussels in the hope of reaching a deal that Ms May can take to the cabinet on Tuesday – and to EU leaders in Brussels the following day.

The Independent revealed on Friday that Andrea Leadsom, the Commons leader, is prepared to resign if Ms May compromises further.

Esther McVey, the work and pensions secretary, Penny Mordaunt, the international development secretary, and Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, are also on “resignation watch”.

Also on Friday, Dominic Raab, the Brexit secretary, insisted the “backstop” – the key hurdle to a withdrawal agreement – must have an end date or it would be rejected by parliament.

Earlier, former Brexit secretary David Davis said the plan was “completely unacceptable” and urged cabinet ministers to rise up to “exert their collective authority”.

Labour MPs have told The Independent that up to 15 of their colleagues are prepared to defy Jeremy Corbyn and vote for the prime minister’s deal, if it is reasonable.

But Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, condemned the idea of a “ridiculous binary choice” between Ms May’s agreement and crashing out of the EU.

“I think it’s false,” she told the same programme, insisting a “blind Brexit” – with no details of future trading rules – would be unacceptable.

“If she comes back with something that’s just a fudge she’s cooked up with Brussels, we are not going to vote for it. We’re not voting for something that’s essentially a bridge to nowhere.”

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