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Tories and Labour have eight days to save Brexit deal or talks will be OFF, No10 admits

BREXIT talks between the Tories and Labour will end in eight days – whether or not they’ve reached a deal, it emerged today.

No10 is planning to bring the axe down on cross-party negotiations if they don’t bear fruit by the middle of next week.

Theresa May is reportedly prepared to soften her Brexit red lines
Reuters

Cabinet ministers today agreed they must hold another Commons vote on Brexit as soon as possible or risk losing control altogether.

A No10 source said: “This time next week we’ll need a clear idea of where these talks are going and I think there is an understanding it can’t go on for much longer.

“There is an understanding that we’ve got to get on with it and talks will have to come to a conclusion one way or another.”

If the two sides manage to reach a compromise agreement, the Commons will vote on it as soon as next week.

But if talks break up without a deal, Theresa May has promised to let MPs have their say on a wide range of Brexit options, from No Deal to a second referendum.

She would commit to enact whatever is the most popular outcome.

That process risks a repeat of the “indicative votes” fiasco which saw Parliament fail to agree on any Brexit plan in a string of non-binding motions a few weeks ago.

If a deal isn’t in place by the end of next week, Britain will have to take part in the EU elections.

TORY ANGER WARNING

David Lidington, Mrs May’s deputy who is leading the Tory delegation, said last night: “I was encouraged by the sense in the room today about the need to inject greater urgency into this.”

And a senior Labour source told The Times: “The talks felt different and more substantive in a way that they didn’t last week.”

But Jeremy Hunt admitted that any compromise risked enraging Tory backbenchers – making them less likely to back the withdrawal agreement when it returns to the Commons.

He told the BBC: “If we were proposing, which I very much hope we don’t, to sign up to the customs union, then I think there is a risk that you would lose more Conservative MPs than you would gain Labour MPs.”

But Mr Hunt dismissed calls for Theresa May to be toppled within weeks.

The Foreign Secretary said: “Just changing the leader doesn’t actually change the parliamentary arithmetic.

“So, I think, what it would do is create delay in the process and mean that we will have another period of time through which we have Brexit paralysis.”

But Nick Boles, who recently quit the party over Brexit, hit back at Mr Hunt.

He blasted: “I am getting very bored of Remainer candidates for the Conservative leadership trying to buff up their Leave credentials by making ignorant and unhelpful comments about the chances of a customs compromise with Labour.”

Labour is also bitterly divided over Brexit as party bosses hold a crunch meeting on whether to back a second referendum in their EU elections manifesto.

Top Tories launch new plan to knock out the backstop

TOP Tory MPs have launched a new plan to knock out the hated Irish backstop.

Ex-Cabinet ministers Nicky Morgan and Greg Hands are leading a new committee dedicated to working out ways to avoid a hard border.

The “alternative arrangements commission”, funded by the Prosperity UK think-tank, is designed to avoid the need for the backstop ever to come into effect.

It will examine hi-tech solutions to the border and ways for the UK and Ireland to work on a joint customs plan.

The commission’s report is designed to “highlight to our European partners that there is an ongoing parliamentary majority for the withdrawal agreement provided that a template for alternative arrangements can be agreed”, Prosperity UK said.

Ms Morgan and Mr Hands both back Theresa May’s deal – but are keen to ensure the backstop, which keeps Britain in the EU customs union, never actually takes effect.

Former Education Secretary Ms Morgan said today: “The EU have already indicated a desire to get on to discussing alternative arrangements and so we should try to do that.”

Hardline Brexiteers welcomed the fresh push to keep the border open without using the backstop.

Jacob Rees-Mogg said: “A sensible suggestion, why is the Government not doing this?”

Labour’s negotiating team arriving for talks on Brexit yesterday
PA:Press Association
Jeremy Hunt warned a deal could alienate Tory MPs
Andrew Parsons

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