Brexiteers accused Theresa May of deception last night after Eurosceptic cabinet members were kept in the dark over a key negotiation document until hours before it was due to be published. The prime minister shared a blueprint for avoiding a hard border in Northern Ireland with leading Remain-supporting cabinet ministers at the weekend, days before giving it to Boris Johnson, Liam Fox and Michael Gove. The “backstop” plan is opposed by Brexiteers because it commits the whole of the UK to elements of the customs union if London and Brussels cannot agree a deal on border controls for goods. Philip Hammond, the chancellor, and Karen Bradley, the Northern Ireland secretary, were among those to see the four-page paper early as was David Davis, who saw
Pro-Brexit members of the UK cabinet have accused Prime Minister Theresa May of keeping them in the dark after a blueprint for avoiding a hard pro-European border was shared with Irish cabinet members including Chancellor Philip Hammond and Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley, days before it was given to Boris Johnson, Liam Fox and Michael Gove. Brexit Secretary David Davis could resign if the backstop plan goes ahead without a time limit, unnamed sources said. Meanwhile, a House of Commons debate of the EU Withdrawal Bill has been extended from one to two days.