Some things never change. It’s the end of the first week of the new term and the Conservatives are finishing it with a row about Brexit. Although there are several rows currently brewing on Brexit – from amendments to the EU (withdrawal) bill to David Davis’s ‘stability’ – the one that is giving the Prime Minister the biggest headache involves a letter and a minister.
The letter – thought to have been destined for the Sunday Telegraph – says that Britain should not pay into the EU budget during a transition period and must be able to sign trade deals straight after Brexit. These demands go further than current government policy and it has been circulated among Brexit-backing Tories, with dozens said to have signed it so far.
A particular sore point is that Steve Baker, a minister in the Brexit department, and Suella Fernandes, an aide to the chancellor, intervened on a private online messaging group that encouraged MPs to sign the letter.
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