Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May has a Brexit plan, but might not have enough votes to see it through parliament, Politico reported.
The British government released detailed plans Thursday for what it called a "principled, pragmatic, and ambitious" Brexit — plans that already triggered the resignation of two top ministers and split the governing Conservative Party, and which face likely resistance from the European Union.
The long-awaited document proposes keeping Britain and the EU in a free market for goods, with a more distant relationship for services.
But the plan has infuriated fervent Brexit supporters, who think it would limit Britain's ability to strike new trade deals around the world. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis both quit the government this week in protest.
According to Politico, the key question is whether May's Tory opponents will try to keep pressure on May or whether they have the numbers and the intention to damage her government in an effort to get the Brexit they feel voters expect.
Former Conservative party leader Iain Duncan Smith said he had "deep misgivings" about the white paper; veteran Brexit hardliner Bill Cash declared himself "deeply worried;" and Andrew Bridgen, who has already sent a letter expressing no confidence in May to party authorities, said he "and many colleagues" had "grave concerns" about the path the government is now on, Politico reported.
Without the backing of her own ranks and with a working majority of just 13, the prime minister will need to rely on opposition parties, Politico reported.
Labor officials are not talking about their tactics for the coming battles but, according to Politico, have spoken privately about a "coalition of chaos" where their MPs would vote with Brexit hardliners to bring down May's deal in an attempt to destabilize the government and force a new election.
"The government now has got to go back to the drawing board, it has got to reflect on what Brexit actually means," David Jones, a former Brexit minister, told "Briefings on Brexit."
"It has to reflect on the issues of the three red lines [leaving the single market; leaving the customs union; and ending the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice] which I believe most Conservative MPs want to see reinstated and it has got to come up with a position which accommodates that.
"Until such time as it does that," Jones added, "any negotiations it has with [the EU chief negotiator Michael Barnier] are not likely to be approved here at Westminster."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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