May seeks cabinet support for indefinite customs union
Source: The Guardian
Theresa May has briefed senior ministers on the status of the Brexit negotiations as concerns grow in some quarters of her cabinet and party that she is prepared to agree an indefinite customs backstop to ensure an open border in Ireland.
The prime minister summoned members of the Brexit “war cabinet” on Thursday to build support for the terms of the withdrawal agreement and try to head off resignations before seeking the backing of her full cabinet and the rest of her party.
Ahead of the critical European summit next week, some cabinet members want any backstop arrangements – which could place all of the UK in a customs union after the end of the Brexit transition period in 2020 – to be clearly time-limited. But EU officials say that May has conceded that it will not contain a firm end date.
Instead, the UK would stay in a customs union, likely to be described as a customs arrangement by the prime minister, on an indefinite basis. However, the British government would be able to point to criteria under which the arrangement would be terminated, fulfilling the British desire for it to appear to be a temporary arrangement.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/oct/11/may-seeks-cabinet-support-for-indefinite-customs-union
Ahem. Pardon me for one minute:
