Tory rebels tell May: We’ll halt Britain’s exit from a customs union

Theresa May was today hit by a growing Tory revolt over Brexit as MPs demanded that Britain stay in a cu Nicky Morgan stoms union after quitting the EU.

Senior Conservative backbenchers put their name to a cross-party amendment which could inflict a government defeat if Jeremy Corbyn shifts Labour’s position to support the UK remaining in a customs union.

Nicky Morgan, who chairs the Commons Treasury Committee, Dr Sarah Wollaston, who chairs the Commons health committee, and three former ministers, Anna Soubry, Stephen Hammond and Jonathan Djanogly joined Labour’s Chuka Umunna in launching the move in the Commons.

Former business minister Ms Soubry said: “A majority of Conservative backbenchers are crying out for leadership to a safe Brexit place.

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There is growing support now for a sensible Brexit that delivers for the economy.” Mr Djanogly said: “I am yet to be persuaded that we are going to be able to avoid some kind of customs union — time to smell the coffee.”

Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve added said: “This is a series of probing amendments designed to ensure that Parliament properly considers the options, including that of staying in a customs union.”

Several other Conservatives have signalled they will back the amendment, putting Mrs May’s slim parliamentary majority in peril on this issue.

Streatham MP Mr Umunna, a leading Remainer, tweeted: “New cross party clause 5 to the Trade Bill just tabled by @Anna_Soubry,me, @NickyMorgan01, @S_Hammond & others providing for the UK to continue participating in a Customs Union with the EU —I believe we have a majority in the House of Commons for it.”

The Government, though, was standing firm today on its refusal to countenance Britain remaining in a customs union.

“If we were a part of the customs union we wouldn’t be able to negotiate trade deals independently with other countries and we wouldn’t have full sovereign control of our destiny as a nation,” Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told BBC radio. “But what we want is frictionless trade and we want to find a different way — customs union is one way of getting frictionless trade but it’s not the only way — and what we’re saying is we want to achieve frictionless trade by agreement between two sovereign bodies — the United Kingdom and European Union.”

A Downing Street official added: “We are working to get the sort of future partnership with the EU that everyone in the House of Commons can support.” However, the threatened Tory rebellion could deliver another defeat to the Government as shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said Labour now backs a customs union which would look “pretty much like” the current one after withdrawal.

Mr Hammond has also tabled amendments to the trade and customs bills for the Government to consider being in the European Free Trade Association, whose members include Norway.