Sir Keir Starmer arrives at the Cabinet office
May holds emergency Cabinet meeting ahead of more Brexit talks with Labour tomorrow – amid Brexiteer fury at Hammond’s suggestion of a ‘perfectly credible’ second referendum
Theresa May is this evening holding an emergency Cabinet meeting ahead of more Brexit talks with Labour tomorrow – as Philip Hammond left leavers apoplectic by saying a new public vote on leaving the EU would be ‘perfectly credible’.
Cabinet ministers were seen arriving at Number 10 at around 5pm, setting the scene for what is likely to be another fractious discussion over how to break the Brexit deadlock.
Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer confirmed talks with Theresa May will include the possibility of calling a second referendum as the price of Jeremy Corbyn’s support for any deal.
Details of today’s meeting emerging this evening revealed a ‘confirmatory vote’ and ‘customs arrangements’ were discussed. ADVERTISING
The Guardian reports the Labour leader sent a note to MPs saying: ‘Agenda items were customs arrangements, single market alignment including rights and protections, agencies and programmes, internal security, legal underpinning to any agreements and confirmatory vote.’
Mrs May may include a ‘confirmatory vote’ in a letter to Mr Corbyn which will set out their Brexit offer as early as tomorrow, according to reports.
Today remainers claimed victory as Mr Hammond called a second referendum ‘perfectly credible’ and admitted a customs union compromise would be a price worth paying for a deal with Labour.
No 10 then slapped down talk of a second referendum with the Prime Minister’s Official spokesman saying: ‘I read the Chancellor’s comments as saying ‘a credible proposition to be looked at by Parliament’. I’d point out Parliament has looked at this on a number of occasions and has rejected it’.
Mr Hammond’s words also widened the Brexit fissure in the Cabinet with Health Secretary Matt Hancock distancing himself from Mr Hammond assertion on a second referendum saying: ‘Well, that’s certainly not how I would describe it’.
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Sir Keir Starmer arrives at the Cabinet office for talks with the Tories and admits a second referendum is on the table
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Theresa May (pictured today) is holding more talks with Jeremy Corbyn which have sparked uproar among Tory MPs and pushed two ministers into resigning and 15 more said to be on the brink