PM to hold Cabinet talks on future post-Brexit trade deal
THERESA May is to hold showdown Cabinet talks to discuss the Government’s long-term Brexit plan and vision for a trade deal next week.
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The meeting will give ministers the chance to thrash out a blueprint for Britain’s future trade relationship with the bloc.
But the talks will come after a Sunday deadline imposed by EU bosses to come up with a solution to key divorce issues, which include the difficult problem of the Northern Ireland border.
And some pro-Leave ministers, including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, have argued the Irish border issue can only be solved after Brussels agrees to start talking trade.
The Cabinet will meet 18 months after more than 17.4 million Brits voted to split from the EU.
Brexit latest: The PM is to finally hold Cabinet talks to discuss the UK's long-term Brexit vision
We are not yet at that stage and it would have been premature to have that discussion before we reach that stage
This comes after Chancellor Philip Hammond admitted a proper discussion on the long-term plan had yet to take place.
He told MPs on the Treasury select committee: “We are not yet at that stage and it would have been premature to have that discussion before we reach that stage.”
In recent months, ministers have reportedly begun tentative talks about what a future UK/EU relationship should look like.
But the discussions have not resolved major differences over what the “end state” for Brexit should be.
Boris Johnson yesterday urged the EU to ignore the Irish border issue and move on to trade talks
The Chancellor admitted yesterday the Government has not seriously discussed a long-term Brexit plan
However before the PM will have a chance to meet with her Cabinet, she will return to Brussels and attempt to salvage a deal over key divorce issues.
EU bosses have insisted a draft agreement must be reached on citizens’ rights post-Brexit, the divorce bill and the Northern Ireland border before talks on trade can begin.
The first two issues appear to be close to being solved, with the UK willing to accept a degree of EU control over the rights of its citizens and a divorce bill of up to €50billion reportedly being agreed.
However the Irish border problem scuppered the PM’s plans this week when it seemed she was just inches away from sealing a deal.
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Mrs May’s allies the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) were left furious after a draft version of the agreement leaked from the negotiations suggested Northern Ireland could split from the EU on different terms from the rest of the UK.
DUP leaders said the leaked copy was the first time they had seen the exact wording of what was being proposed.
But Brexit Minister David Davis has since insisted the “regulatory alignment” proposed in the draft deal for Northern Ireland would apply to the whole of the UK.
EU lawmakers are due to meet at a major summit on December 14.
If the PM and her team can agree on a draft deal with negotiators by Sunday, Brussels could give the green light to begin trade talks in the New Year.