Cabinet meeting ends with show of unity ahead of May's Brexit speech

A Cabinet meeting called by Theresa May ahead of a crucial Brexit speech has ended with an apparent show of unity around her strategy.

The Prime Minister is to deliver a speech in the Italian city of Florence on Friday - and was keen to get her Cabinet's backing after a bruising clash with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and reports of deep splits among ministers over her Brexit plans.

While the Government sought to put differences aside in the two-and-a-half-hour meeting, the chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier piled pressure on the UK, saying there is effectively "only one year left" in the divorce talks.

He said he expected "clear commitments" from Britain, including on outstanding issues such as expats' rights.

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Mrs May's Florence speech has been billed as her most important intervention on Britain's exit from the EU since her Lancaster House address in January.

Sources said the Cabinet was given the speech to read and found "complete agreement" on it.

David Gauke, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said afterwards that the Cabinet was "very united, all behind the speech".

"She has the backing of the Cabinet and all of us," he told Sky News.

And as if to illustrate the newly found unity, Mr Johnson and Chancellor Philip Hammond - believed to be on opposing sides of the Brexit debate - walked out of the Cabinet together and smiled for the cameras.

Mrs May's speech will be an attempt to break the deadlock in negotiations with Brussels.

It is expected to propose a transitional period after Britain leaves the bloc in March 2019 - something the Cabinet appears to have agreed.

Reports have also suggested that Mrs May will seek to reassure EU leaders that the UK will honour its financial obligations after Brexit - although she is not expected to give a figure.

The Financial Times reported this week that the Government might be prepared to offer a Brexit bill of about €20bn (£17.7bn).

If confirmed, the figure would be significantly lower than what Brussels reportedly wants - around €60bn (£53bn).

The Brexit bill is a major stumbling block in the talks with Mr Barnier.

Speaking in Rome, before travelling to Florence, Mr Barnier said he was looking forward to the speech in a "constructive way".

He noted that six months had gone by since Britain triggered Article 50 - formally starting two years of negotiations ending in March 2019 - and said six months will be necessary to allow for ratification of any deal.

"There is therefore only one year left to swiftly reach an agreement on the United Kingdom's orderly withdrawal," he said.

As the build-up to the speech continues, speculation is rife that Mrs May might try to bypass Mr Barnier by appealing directly to leaders of the other 27 EU nations.

Speaking in New York, where she addressed the United Nations General Assembly, she recognised Mr Barnier's role, but added: "The decision will always be one that will be taken by the leaders."

The trip was overshadowed by Tory infighting after Mr Johnson wrote an explosive 4,000-word newspaper article setting out his own vision for the divorce.

The Foreign Secretary's blueprint calls for a clean-break Brexit that envisages no payments to gain access to the European single market after a transitional period.

The intervention prompted calls for Mrs May to sack him over the breakdown in Cabinet discipline, as well as reports Mr Johnson might be ready to resign if his vision is not heeded in Mrs May's speech.