Theresa May warned not to back down in Brexit talks

Hard-line Brexiteers have warned British prime minister, Theresa May, that she could be ousted from office if she backs down on key issues at today’s deal-breaking talks in Brussels.

The Leave Means Leave campaign made the claim, despite health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, insisting that removing Ms May from office could stop Brexit from happening at all, as it could lead to an election that Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, would win.

In an open letter to Ms May, on Sunday, the Leave Means Leave campaign — which includes Conservatives MP, Jacob Reec-Mogg, and former cabinet members, John Redwood, Owen Patterson and David Jones — said the prime minister must not back down on key issues at today’s Brexit talks.

Leave Means Leave — which is also backed by a number of business groups, and has the informal support of former Conservatives leader, Michael Howard — said no deal should be agreed with the EU until there is:

• a reciprocal free trade deal without tariffs
• the end of the European Court of Justice’s jurisdiction over Britain
• the end of free movement of citizens by March 30, 2019
• and that there will simply be a “good faith” agreement to continue working on resolving the Irish border stand-off

The letter — which came as DUP leader, Arlene Foster, separately warned, last night, against moving the border to the Irish sea, and as both former British court of appeal judge, Sir Richard Aitkens, and former Conservative cabinet member, Iain Duncan Smith, warned against allowing the European Court of Justice to continue its role post-Brexit — has complicated Ms May’s negotiating position even further. This is because her strained government is dependent on support from both the DUP and hard-line Brexiteers, meaning the prime minister — who campaigned during last year’s referendum for a Remain vote — has been forced to take a tough stance in office.

However, in a bid to calm the situation last night, Hunt warned hard-line Brexiteers that any move to remove Ms May for compromising could derail Brexit itself.

He said this is because Corbyn could win an election in such a situation, stressing: “If we don’t back Theresa May, we will have no Brexit.” The British Labour party said it has not made a decision on whether there should be a second Brexit referendum.

The party’s international trade secretary, Barry Gardiner, said it was not Labour policy to have a second vote, but did not rule out the possibility.

He stressed that stating support for another referendum would “encourage” the EU to give Britain the “worst possible deal”. “Let’s be absolutely upfront about this: the idea that you would have a second referendum would encourage the EU to give you the worst possible deal that there was,” he said.