Cabinet ministers 'warn Theresa May against making Britain an EU colony'
2 min read
At least five Cabinet ministers have reportedly warned Theresa May that her Brexit deal will condemn Britain to becoming a “colony” of the EU.
According to the Sunday Times, Dominic Raab, Jeremy Hunt, Sajid Javid, Michael Gove and Geoffrey Cox have all told the Prime Minister that her current offer to Brussels could bring down the Government.
Mrs May has indicated that the whole of the UK could remain in a customs union with the EU after Brexit until the deadlock over the Northern Irish border is resolved.
But the plan has caused concern on the Tory benches, with Brexiteer MPs fearing the situation could become permanent unless powers for Britain to leave the arrangement are enshrined within the Brexit deal.
A Cabinet source said: “Everyone is telling her not to do this. All the key ministers have been to see her to tell her privately that she can’t sign up to it.”
The newspaper also reports that Mrs May has faced fresh demands from Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to pump an extra £1bn into the UK's ports to help them prepare for Brexit.
The money would be used to diversify away from Calais and boost with Rotterdam and Ostend by upgrading technology and facilities.
The call comes after Mr Raab warned that French officials could deliberately take a "go-slow approach" at the port to create gridlock and undermine Britain in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
He told MPs: "There is a risk of no deal, especially if the EU engage in a deliberately intransigent approach."
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