London: British Prime Minister Theresa May is to press ahead with her Chequers plan for a soft-Brexit, her advisors said after a meeting of her top ministers at Downing Street. Ahead of the meeting on Monday, there had been media speculation of differing opinions among some of her top team, with claims that some ministers wanted her to abandon the plan agreed in July at a meeting at her country retreat Chequers, Xinhua reported.
An official spokesperson for May said later her cabinet remained fully behind May’s Brexit policy, even though it has faced strong criticism from EU member leaders as well as European Council President Donald Tusk. The report, called Plan A+: Creating a Prosperous Post-Brexit UK, outlined how it can deliver a Brexit prize, including introducing a new agreement between Britain and Ireland to preserve an open border after Brexit. The next big test for both May and the group of Brexit supporting Conservative MPs led by Rees-Mogg, will come this weekend when the party starts its annual conference in Birmingham.
Labour party members are torn between wanting a so-called People’s Vote on a final Brexit deal, and demands for a general election favoured by leader Jeremy Corbyn and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell. Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer said Labour was deliberately not being prescriptive about a question that could be posed in a second EU referendum, adding it was not ruling out an option of staying in the EU. (IANS)