Brexit: Ministers 'up for the fight' to rule out no deal, senior Tory tells May
Government forced to pay Eurotunnel £33m over Grayling's no-deal Brexit ferry farce
Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
Ministers are “up for the fight” to prevent the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal, a senior Tory has warned the prime minister, saying a disorderly exit is “not something we can contemplate”.
Tobias Ellwood, the defence minister, said he would fight to prevent a no-deal Brexit taking place – either on 29 March or after an extension.
His warning came after it was revealed the Government had paid £33m to Eurotunnel to settle a legal action over the award of contracts to ferry firms, including one that had no ships.
Eurotunnel had accused ministers of awarding the contracts through a “secretive and flawed procurement process”.
“We’re going to stay, we want to be the party, we don’t want to be pushed out in any sense,” Mr Ellwood told the BBC’s Nick Robinson in a podcast.
“This moderate view that we’re trying to defend has to be where we go in the future or we will not win the next general election.”
Meanwhile, opposition to Theresa May’s Brexit deal appeared to be starting to soften.
Top Brexiteer Dominic Raab signalled his position was moving, saying Eurosceptics were not “dogmatic” over the divisive Irish backstop. He added: “The substance rather than the vehicle and means is what matters. We need to see substantial legally binding changes.”
Jacob Rees-Mogg, who chairs the European Research Group of Tory Brexiteers, also suggested he could be happy with an appendix to Ms May’s deal.
The comments offer a glimmer of hope to the prime minister ahead of a critical vote on her deal on 12 March, and come after she opened the door to a short delay to Britain’s departure from the EU.
To read how events developed on Friday, please see what was our live coverage below.
Spain looks to guarantee British expats' rights with contingency plan
Some interesting news from Madrid this afternoon, where Spanish foreign minister Josep Borrell says the country will aim to protect the rights of British citizens living there in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Spanish newspaper El Pais earlier said Spain planned to grant residency to hundreds of thousands of British citizens if the UK left the European Union without a deal.
Spain is home to the largest British expat community in the EU, with around 300,000 UK citizens currently resident in the country.
Theresa May’s former chief of staff, Nick Timothy, has told the BBC that the prime minister always saw Brexit as a “damage limitation exercise”.
In his first TV interview – which forms part of a new BBC Two behind the scenes Brexit documentary with the BBC’s Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg - he suggested her and other ministers’ attitude meant the government has “not been prepared to take the steps needed to make the most of Brexit.”
Mr Timothy, who is considered to have been one of Theresa May’s most influential advisers, said that the Prime Minister should have been clearer that different sides of the Tory Party would have to compromise much earlier on.
One of the difficulties she’s had is that she’s tried to take every part of the party with her at different points…it would have been better to be clearer that not everybody in the party was going to get one they wanted.
I think one of the reasons we are where we are, is that many ministers - and I would include Theresa in this, struggled to see any economic upside to Brexit. They see it as a damage limitation exercise.
If you see it in that way (as damage limitation) then inevitably you’re not going to be prepared to take the steps that would enable you to fully realise the economic opportunities of leaving."
The Independent's Deputy Political Editor, Rob Merrick, has written about MPs warning about post-Brexit US trade:
A closely watched economic survey shows that the UK's manufacturing sector is faltering as Brexit draws near and that whatever growth it is recording is largely due to firms stockpiling.
In a monthly survey, financial information firm IHS Markit says its main purchasing managers' index — a broad gauge of activity in the sector — fell to a four-month low 52.0 in February from 52.6 the previous month.
Though that's above the 50 threshold that marks expansion, the survey said Friday that the growth was largely due to firms implementing "plans to mitigate potential Brexit-related disruptions." This has involved the stockpiling raw materials, for example.
James Smith, an economist at ING, says the survey shows that the sector is still narrowly expanding, "but make no mistake, the underlying details make it clear that this is only because firms are building up inventory ahead of Brexit."
A proposed post-Brexit trade deal with the US could allow big American companies to "run riot" in the NHS, campaigners have warned.
Donald Trump's administration has published negotiating objectives for a deal which include demands for the UK to provide full market access for US drug firms and ensure that state institutions - such as the NHS - do not discriminate against American companies when purchasing goods and services.
The document also states the US will be seeking "comprehensive market access" for its agricultural products through the reduction or removal of tariffs and the elimination of "unwarranted barriers" to food and drink imports.
The Department for International Trade welcomed the document, published by the office of US trade representative Robert Lighthizer, as a sign that Washington is keen to start talks soon after Brexit.
Liam Fox has been mocked for spending £107,000 on Brexit podcast only downloaded by 8,400 people
Nigel Farage charging Leave protesters £50 to join him on walk to London
Michel Barnier has reportedly told EU ambassadors that no progress has been made in Brexit negotiations, saying the UK continues to push for changes to the backstop that the EU won't make.
Commenting, Best for Britain supporter Virendra Sharma MP said:
The government continues to chase the impossible with its tone deaf negotiating strategy.
The EU's reaction to this demand for backstop changes has been clear for a while. The government knows this, meaning it's deliberately running down the clock. Meanwhile, businesses and communities around the country continue to suffer from the Brexit uncertainty.
This cannot continue. Theresa May is embarrassing the country internationally. We need to end this nightmare through a Final Say with the option to stay in the EU."
The Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood, speaking to Political Thinking with Nick Robinson, a BBC Radio 4 podcast, has warned that he and like-minded ministers will ‘stop no-deal whenever’ if Article 50 is extended.
He said he supported the Ms May’s deal, but if we ‘move into unchartered territory’ after the end of March, ‘we are probably looking at an ever softer Brexit than we have currently got’ with potentially some form of customs union.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments