Where next for Brexit after ministers resign?

TORY DIVISIONS OVER BRITAIN LEAVING THE EU PUT THERESA MAY IN A TOUGH POSITION

LET’S return to basics. In the referendum on June 23, 2016, the country voted 52 per cent to 48 to leave the European Union.

I know people say a victory by one vote is still a victory and here the margin was a million. But realistically, the country has been split right down the middle over the wisdom of leaving the EU.

The resignations of David Davis and Boris Johnson as Brexit and foreign secretary re­spectively merely demonstrate the deep divisions in the Con­servative Party.

The prime minister famously began by declaring that “Brexit means Brexit” but has been persuaded that the conse­quences of a bad deal could be devastating for the British economy. At the same time Theresa May realises that peo­ple voted to end free movement of labour.

There was a warning from Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover, the biggest employer in the manufacturing sector, that a hard Brexit could put at risk its very existence in the UK.

But she also knows that there are Brextremists in her party who want the UK to sever its ties with the EU even if this proves to be an act of grievous self-harm.

At the cabinet meeting at Chequers, she got agreement – or so she thought – to a com­promise soft Brexit.

In his resignation letter, Da­vis said the “current trend of policy and tactics” was making it look “less and less likely” that Brexit would deliver on the referendum result and the Tory commitments to leave the EU customs union and single market.

“I am also unpersuaded that our negotiating approach will not just lead to further demands for concessions,” Da­vis added.

In her reply, the prime min­ister told him: “I do not agree with your characterisation of the policy we agreed on at Cab­inet on Friday.”

Many Indians will now be sorry to see Johnson go be­cause he knows India very well and has links with the country through his part-Indian wife, Marina Wheeler.

Johnson said the Brexit dream was dying but is that such a bad outcome?

What next?

Tory Brexiteers in parlia­ment may trigger a leader­ship challenge if there are fur­ther resignations from the cabi­net. Jeremy Corbyn wants to bring down the government but Labour is equally divided on Brexit.

Labour’s shadow Brexit sec­retary Sir Keir Starmer wants a second referendum which Cor­byn doesn’t.

The ideal solution is to put Brexit on hold, stay in the EU and campaign from within the organisation to curb free move­ment of labour.

Anything else will cause cha­os for years to come.