Commentators such as Philip Landau, an employment law solicitor, have said that there is unlikely to be a major shift in terms of employment rights and that most European Union laws in the area would be retained.
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“The prime minister is very clear there will be no second referendum”, a spokesman for May said.
“She hasn’t set out what Brexit means and she doesn’t want to be held to account on vital issues such as stripping away workers’ rights and environmental safeguards”.
There is also confusion over the responsibilities of different government departments in any negotiations with Brussels, particularly between the foreign, global trade and Brexit ministries. But most of the diplomats in Britain’s Foreign Office – who have the necessary skills – are in no rush to volunteer for newly created Brexit positions which, by definition, will be temporary jobs.
Anti-EU MPs are incensed.
“There are people who are threatening to try and stop Brexit”.
She first made the promise during the Tory leadership contest in June.
There will be a full Cabinet meeting at 10.30am which will be attended by senior Whitehall officials – and after lunch, a “political cabinet” without civil servants is set to commence.
Meanwhile, Brexit secretary David Davis is facing questions after Labour leadership candidate Owen Smith highlighted that Davis had previously backed a second referendum.
It is becoming clear to officials in London that they can not delay the start of the talks much beyond the end of this year; German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom the British count on a great deal to smooth their way out of the European Union, is not prepared to wait much longer. Yet that has been ruled out by all other European Union governments, which insist Britain can not enjoy the benefits of a single market without accepting the obligation of the free movement of labour.
On Tuesday, French President Francois Hollande seemed to back up that point, underlining that Britain could not opt in to certain parts of the single market without upholding the EU’s four freedoms, including freedom of movement.
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The Telegraph newspaper reported that the two sides have disagreed over Hammond’s view that access to the single market could be maintained “on a sector-by-sector basis”, with Britain retaining a favorable status for its big financial sector.
