Where cabinet ministers stand on May's Brexit deal

Some cabinet ministers, amid the Brexit gridlock at the top of government and the expectation that Theresa May’s deal would be defeated in the House of Commons, have put forward the idea of allowing MPs to express views on a range of options.

At the same time, other ministers have been understood to be pushing for what they call a “managed no deal” – giving up on talks with the EU while hoping to mitigate some of the worst aspects of this. Some experts have dismissed the idea as illusory.

Ahead of Tuesday’s cabinet meeting to discuss a no-deal scenario, here is what we know about where ministers stand:

Theresa May

The prime minister has been sticking to her insistence she can extract new concessions from the EU and force her plan through the Commons. Her ministers might need to persuade her otherwise.

David Lidington

May’s de facto deputy has always been publicly on message. The Labour MP Chris Bryant has suggested he has discussed the possibility of a second referendum with him, something Lidington denied. But he has been known to oppose no deal.

Philip Hammond

The chancellor has been very much against the idea of a no-deal departure, even as he distributes funds to prepare for it, but has not said whether he supports more options for MPs.

Sajid Javid

The home secretary, who has been widely assumed to harbour leadership ambitions, was reported to be one of the ministers pushing for serious consideration of a no-deal exit.

Jeremy Hunt

The foreign secretary, a remainer-turned die hard Brexiter, used an interview on Sunday to talk up the benefits of leaving without a deal.

Steve Barclay

The Brexit secretary, while a definite leave-minded Tory, is so new to the cabinet that it has been hard for him to agitate one way or the other.

Gavin Williamson

The defence secretary has been another minister reported to be in the group backing a “managed no deal”.

David Gauke

The justice secretary has been vehemently against the no-deal option, and has suggested he could quit the cabinet if this was being mooted.

Matt Hancock

Hancock, as health secretary, has been central to telling ministers about the risks of no deal in areas such as medicine supplies. He has suggested a second referendum could happen, though he opposes the idea.

Greg Clark

The business secretary has publicly backed the idea of asking MPs for a solution, saying the Commons should “be invited to say what it would agree with”.

Liam Fox

The international trade secretary, while a long-time Brexiter, said on Sunday he “wouldn’t have a huge problem with parliament as a whole having a say on what the options were”.

Amber Rudd

The work and pensions secretary another vehement opponent of no deal, was one of the first ministers to discuss alternative ideas if May’s plan was voted down.

Damian Hinds

On Sunday the education secretary hinted he backed allowing MPs to discuss other plans, saying there would be “a value in, sort of, flushing out what these various different options are”.

Michael Gove

The environment secretary, while he was among the leading leave campaigners in the referendum, has been supportive of May, and has been reportedly worried at the idea of no deal.

Penny Mordaunt

The international development secretary has been reportedly at the head of plans to push for a no deal, and was allegedly in talks with the MPs from the hard Brexit-backing European Research Group.

James Brokenshire

The communities secretary, a cautious loyalist of May’s, has yet to say what alternative plan he might back.

Chris Grayling

The transport secretary, who was May’s campaign manager when she became Tory leader, would stick to whatever plan the PM proposes.

David Mundell

While the Scottish secretary expressed alarm over elements of May’s plan, he has also said that no deal would be disastrous for Scotland.

Alun Cairns

The Welsh secretary also had doubts about May’s plan but has not expressed a strong view on the next step.

Karen Bradley

The Northern Ireland secretary has repeatedly expressed worries about a no deal, saying it would inevitably lead to customs checks on the Irish border.

Jeremy Wright

The culture secretary has so far been steadfastly loyal to May’s deal, and has not indicated what alternative plan he might support.

Brandon Lewis

The Conservative party chair would stick to the official line.