Theresa May will attempt to head off a rebellion of her Brexit inner cabinet and prevent key leave-supporting ministers from resigning by delaying a final decision on her “customs partnership” model.
The prime minister is expected to keep both of Downing Street’s options for a future customs arrangement with the European Union on the table at least for now as the 11-strong subcommittee meet for talks on Wednesday.
No 10 sources said the prime minister had no plans to “boot out” one customs union option immediately and that officials would continue working on both.
However, May faces a tense showdown with key Brexiters, after the Guardian learned that they are planning to “pointedly and forcefully” persuade her to drop her preferred plan altogether.
Downing Street has spent the last few days intensely lobbying ministers including David Davis, Liam Fox and Boris Johnson on the benefits of the so-called hybrid model, under which the UK would collect EU import tariffs on behalf of Brussels.
But the Brexiters now believe they have the numbers to force her hand, claiming that new home secretary Sajid Javid and defence secretary Gavin Williamson would back them, giving them a majority of six to five in the crunch talks.
It comes after it emerged that 60 Eurosceptic MPs from the European Research Group, led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, have sent May a 30-page report setting out their opposition to the plan.
The group is understood to have repeatedly warned No 10 in recent weeks that the customs partnership would be considered a red line, and crossing it could precipitate the collapse of the government.
One remain-supporting cabinet minister told the Guardian earlier that they expected the prime minister to make a “big push” for her preferred option at the meeting, but Whitehall officials suggested she would stop just short of ditching the alternative.
Brexiter sources claimed that the prime minister had been told eight times by civil servants that her preferred option, which is backed by her top Brexit civil servant Olly Robbins, was unworkable but has continued to stick with it.
The option is regarded as cumbersome and impractical by Brexiters, who describe it as the “unicorn” model and fear it would be “a customs union by the back door”.
The customs partnership has become the most contentious issue in the debate about what kind of Brexit should be pursued, with many MPs regarding it as the only way of successfully avoiding a hard border in Northern Ireland.
Brexiters hope to persuade the prime minister to keep the alternative on the table for now – the maximum facilitation (“max-fac”) proposal, which relies on technology to minimise border checks.
Conservative sources suggested Davis could be prepared to resign if the subcommittee throws its weight behind the prime minister’s option. Insiders said he…
