Cabinet at war over No Deal Brexit: Mordaunt BACKS crashing out of the EU while Rudd warns against it – as May is threatened with mutiny if she tries to stop Parliament taking control
The Cabinet war over no-deal Brexit escalated today as ministers openly clashed over Britain’s future with Europe.
Aid Secretary Penny Mordaunt – a Brexiteer – went public in defence of crashing out of the EU – arguing it is better than accepting a bad deal.
But Amber Rudd, the Remainer Work and Pensions Secretary, hit back online tweeting a link to a CBI warning about the dangers of no deal to business.
Theresa May‘s senior ministers are deeply split over what to do if her deal cannot be pushed through Parliament after Tuesday’s 230-vote rout.
Ms Mordaunt insisted today the EU had to believe a no deal Brexit was still an option to win new concessions from Brussels and make the deal acceptable to Tory rebels.
Other ministers – led by Business Secretary Greg Clark and Justice Secretary David Gauke – have warned no deal is so bad they would resign to stop it.
The splits come as Mrs May has been holding talks with rival political leaders to try to come up with a Brexit Pan B in the wake of her humiliating defeat.
She held a ‘constructive’ calls with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch PM Mark Rutte last night, and is expected to have more calls with EU leaders in the coming days.
And she will today hold meetings with many of her Cabinet ministers in No10 today to discuss Brexit and how the cross-party talks have gone.
Senior Labour MP Yvette Cooper became the latest politician to draft laws that would seize control of the Brexit process from the Government.