Ministers Trying to Force May on Brexit as Cabinet Gap Cracks | Policy

Theresa May's government is on the verge of collapse as ministers prepare to oppose the question of whether they support Brexit's slowdown plans and potential significant delays before leaving the country. European Union.

In a landmark intervention, State Secretary for Justice David Gauke said Sunday that the Prime Minister should accept the possibility of supporting a customs union if the measure is approved by Parliament this week.

But this decision was rejected by the Brexiters, including those of the cabinet, who threatened to resign if May accepted a customs union or submitted to a delay beyond 22 May.

This comes as May and her decreasing number of supporters prepare to face a second round of "indicative" votes on alternatives to her agreement on Monday.

Concerned about the possibility of cabinet resignations, some ministers urged the month of May to allow a free vote on any proposal for a customs union. If Parliament supports a customs union, ministers believe May will be forced to make a decision that will result in resignations at the cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Twelve days before the UK leaves the EU, Gauke said the prime minister should "look very closely" if MPs were supporting a customs union in a new round of indicative votes.

"If Parliament votes overwhelmingly against not leaving the European Union without an agreement but that it is supportive of a sweeter Brexit, then I do not think it's sustainable." Ignore Parliament's position and therefore leave without an agreement, "said Gauke.

Asked about her response to a letter from 170 Conservative MPs, including 10 cabinet members, who urged her to pull the UK out of the EU "with or without an agreement," Gauke said he would resign instead to support any decision. Brexit ideal.

"My position is that it is not the responsibility of a government to do, to leave without an agreement in these circumstances. So obviously, I would not be able to stay in the government, "Gauke told the BBC.

Gauke joined five other ministers – including social affairs secretary Amber Rudd, business secretary Greg Clark and Scottish secretary David Mundell – to form a socially liberal conservative group.

The group One Nation, which is also supported by Rory Stewart, Claire Perry and Bim Afolami, plans to challenge the Brexiters of the European research group, announced Sunday the company.

ERG members fear that the indicative voting process, controlled by a group of multi-party MPs led by former minister Oliver Letwin, will inevitably lead to a milder Brexit.

No. 10 hopes the pressure will lead to more Brexiters reluctantly supporting May's deal after he reduced the majority against him from 230 to 149 in the first two votes to 58 on Friday.

One of the ministers supporting Brexit said Gauke was rewriting the party's manifesto. "It's a ridiculous statement [from Gauke]. I can only hope that he has not expressed himself well. If not, he speaks out of the turn. "

The so-called "pizzas club" of pro-Brexit ministers, led by House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom, held an emergency teleconference Saturday night to coordinate their response to the crisis and agreed to block efforts to join a customs union. .

May's hold on power seems more and more fragile as ministers openly prepare for a leadership challenge. She seems ready to call a general election if the parliament fails to agree on a course of action that she will lead next.

James Cleverly, vice president of the Conservative Party, told Sky News that May could very well do it. To the question of whether May could lead the party to early elections, he replied: "It's an inevitable possibility."

He insisted that the party was not gearing up for early parliamentary elections to resolve the Brexit blockade, but acknowledged that "sensible and pragmatic" emergency planning was underway.

Cabinet ministers would fiercely oppose any initiative to hold an early election by May, senior cabinet officials said.

A minister told the Guardian: "Now that the Prime Minister has said that she was leaving, there is no point in staying indefinitely after saying so." The minister also let the water flow. cold water by baderting that there would be general elections, by showing the law on parliaments for a fixed term.

Meanwhile, senior conservatives are openly campaigning to succeed May as prime minister.

On Monday, MPs will vote on nine different alternatives to Brexit's plan of May during the second round of what's called indicative votes, none of which won the majority last week. They go from a second referendum to a plan to eliminate Britain without agreement on April 12 to new powers conferring on Parliament the right to revoke Article 50, which has the effect of postpone Brexit. John Bercow, the President, is responsible for selecting the options that can be put to the vote.

Two "soft Brexit" projects have received significant support from MEPs since last Wednesday's vote. Ken Clarke, the former Chancellor, defended a plan that would require a comprehensive customs union with the EU negotiated as part of the Brexit package. This option was rejected last week by a majority of only eight votes.

The "Common Market 2.0" plan, which provided for the retention of Britain in the customs union and the single market, has lost 95 votes, but has since been modified.

The Hope Labor Party Supports Common Market Plan 2.0 Fell Sunday After Emily Thornberry, US Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, said Labor's policy was to move closer to the single market, but not to -this. "Our reserve to be in the single market is that we should accept things as they are currently in immigration," she said. "We can not pretend that the referendum, which is part of the debate, was not about immigration."

Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, warned that patience with Britain could be exhausted. Mr Juncker said Sunday on Italian state television RAI that he wanted Britain to be able to reach an agreement in the hours and days ahead that could be followed.

"Until now, we know what the British parliament says no to, but we do not know what he could say yes," he said. "We had a lot of patience with our British friends about Brexit, but patience is lacking."

When asked if a second referendum would be possible, Mr Juncker replied that it was a problem for the British people.