Back Theresa May's deal or face lengthy Brexit delay, PM's top negotiator warns MPs
2 min read
Theresa May's chief Brexit negotiator has risked infuriating Conservative MPs after he was overheard claiming that Parliament will have to back the Prime Minister's deal or face a lengthy delay.
Mrs May has repeatedly insisted that the alternative to supporting her Brexit agreement is to leave the European Union without a deal.
But ITV News reports that Olly Robbins - the top civil servant advising the Prime Minister on Brexit - was overheard in a Brussels hotel bar saying that he expects MPs to be faced with the choice of either backing a tweaked version of Mrs May's deal or "a long" extension to talks with Brussels.
"The issue is whether Brussels is clear on the terms of extension," the Brexit chief is reported to have said. "In the end they will probably just give us an extension."
The senior civil servant also shed light on Mrs May's strategy to secure fresh changes to the Northern Ireland backstop from the EU, which Brexiteers fear could leave the UK locked into a customs union with Brussels indefinitely.
In further comments likely to angry eurosceptics, Mr Robbins said the policy was originally intended as "a bridge" to a long-term relationship with the EU, rather than a "safety net" to avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland.
"The big clash all along is the ‘safety net’," Mr Robbins said. "We agreed a bridge but it came out as a ‘safety net’."
Leading Conservative Brexiteer Steve Baker - who quit as a minister in objection to Mrs May's deal - said Mr Robbins was a "consummate civil servant" and so was "likely to be appalled by this story".
He added: "Officials advise. Ministers decide. What matters ultimately is the policy of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.
"If the PM decides we are leaving on 29 March, deal or no deal, that will happen."
A spokesman for the European Reseach Group of Tory Brexiteers said: "Who’s in charge of this? Either the PM is and this is what she wants, or she isn’t and is just doing what the civil service tells her."
Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage meanwhile fumed: "As I have said before, Olly Robbins represents the civil service fifth column in our country.
"He should be sacked immediately for a combination of treachery and incompetence."
A government spokesperson told ITV News: "We don’t propose to comment on alleged remarks from a private conversation.
"The government’s focus is on securing the improvements Parliament needs to pass a deal so we leave the EU on 29th March."
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