Theresa May ‘irritated’ by talk of leadership challenges
Prime Minister Theresa May has said she gets “irritated” by speculation about her position as leader of the Conservative Party, as she heads towards a crucial crunch meeting with EU leaders later this week.
In an interview to mark six months until Britain is due to leave the European Union, May slapped down former foreign secretary Boris Johnson and insisted she was putting the country before her own position.
May said: “this debate is not about my future. This debate is about the future of the people of the UK and the future of the United Kingdom.”
The Prime Minister’s comments come ahead of a hotly-anticipated summit between EU leaders in Salzburg, taking place on Thursday. The meeting will include a discussion between EU leaders where they are expected to announce an extraordinary Brexit summit, which is likely to be held on 13 November. Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who is hosting the meeting of EU leaders, last week insisted that “Should Britain’s exit be messy, it would result in massive harm to both sides, including us in the EU 27.”
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EU27 leaders may direct Michel Barnier, the bloc’s chief negotiator, with further guidance on how he can approach discussions with British representatives. May has described the meeting as a “staging post” for further negotiations.
May’s fresh insistence that her Chequers proposal was the best and only option came as environment secretary and former Leave campaigner Michael Gove suggested that a future Prime Minister could seek a different relationship with the EU, though he backed the May's strategy as the right plan “for now”.
The Prime Minister has been under growing pressure from her party in recent weeks. There has been open talk of replacing her among Conservative MPs who oppose her signature Chequers plan for negotiations with the EU, and fervent speculation that Johnson, a leading figure in the Leave campaign, is preparing to launch a leadership bid against her.
Speaking to BBC Panorama in an interview to be broadcast tonight, May said she was focused on “ensuring that we get that good deal from the European Union which is good for people in the UK, wherever they live in the UK”.
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May criticised Johnson for comments he made in the Mail on Sunday last week – in which he likened her Brexit strategy to putting on a “suicide vest” and handing the detonator to Brussels – describing his language as “completely inappropriate”.
Talk of leadership challenges has dogged May since her ill-fated general election last year, with Johnson, the former mayor of London, the bookies’ favourite to replace her.
Tensions within the Conservatives have flared over the summer as resistance grows to Chequers – a set of negotiating positions for Brexit agreed by the cabinet at the Prime Minister’s country residence ahead of the parliamentary recess over summer.
One of the cornerstones of the policy would be a “facilitated” customs agreement, in which the UK could apply domestic tariffs and trade policies for goods intended for the UK, but charge EU tariffs for goods which are intended for the bloc.
Opponents of Chequers within the Conservative Party have said the EU will not accept this proposal, as it would create different levels of access to markets and obligations for goods and services.
Barnier has also raised doubts over the details, but in a sign that the Brussels position may be softening he last week told reporters: “[Chequers] is useful because it clearly defines what the wishes are for the UK for future relations.”