- Staff Notice
The Sunday Times is reporting today that the government's chief Brexit negotiator is plotting to keep the UK in the customs union. Theresa's May right hand man on Brexit (not David Davis!) but a adviser called Oliver Robbins plans for the UK to be in a "association agreement" agreement with Brussels. But the confused article goes on to say that is a separate plan to the most recent one put forward by Robbins which is that the UK would collect EU tariffs on behalf of Brussels. Supposedly David Davis is up in arms about this and May's advisers have already "wargamed" what would happen if Davis resigned from the government.
Seems the article is part fact and part tittle tattle to me, so it's difficult to tell what is what, but there is another article that rings truer...
In a related article also in the Sunday Times, the newspaper is reporting that leaked cabinet papers have said that Amber Rudd submitted a plan to the cabinet last month to "water down" immigration and border controls post Brexit. The plan is to create "a labour mobility partnership" with the EU which in effect would give EU migrants preferential access to benefits, healthcare and the UK jobs market — undermining claims that free movement would end when Britain leaves the EU.
What the fcuk are they playing at?
Did the government miss the bit in the referendum which came out that a majority voted to leave the EU?