A senior Cabinet minister warned today Brexit could be stopped altogether if Theresa May is toppled by critics who fear she is making too many concessions.
Jeremy Hunt hit out after a flurry of warnings from Brexiteers about the terms of a draft deal due to be discussed by Theresa May in Brussels tomorrow.
The Prime Minister will sit down for lunch with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker for a working lunch aimed at hammering out a draft divorce deal.
The Health Secretary’s warning came on the same day as Tony Blair said Brexit was reversible and taunted Brexiteers that ‘it’s not done until it’s done’.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt (pictured today on Peston on Sunday) warned today Brexit could be stopped altogether if Theresa May is toppled by critics who fear she is making too many concessions
The Health Secretary’s warning came on the same day as Tony Blair said Brexit was reversible and taunted Brexiteers that ‘it’s not done until it’s done’
Mr Hunt hit out after a flurry of warnings from Brexiteers about the terms of a draft deal due to be discussed by Theresa May in Brussels tomorrow
But appearing on ITV’s Peston on Sunday, Mr Hunt said: ‘The choice we face is not between this Brexit or that Brexit.
‘If we don’t back Theresa May we will have no Brexit, and she is doing an unbelievably challenging job amazingly well.’
Education Secretary Justine Greening offered her own endorsement of the PM in an interview with the BBC’s Andrew Marr.
She said: ‘I think everyone needs to get behind the Prime Minister. She’s got an immensely challenging job going to the EU and negotiating our terms by which we will leave the European Union.
‘It’s very important that we speak with one voice, but I think the Cabinet has set with the Prime Minister our negotiating stance.
‘She’ll go and try and get the best possible deal.’
Mr Hunt’s intervention came after former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith and a former Court of Appeal judge hit out at leaked proposals that would see the Supreme Court asking the the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for advisory rulings.
The mechanism is an apparent attempt to reassure Brussels about the rights of EU citizens living in Britain after Brexit.
Brexiteers fear it is a backdoor by which the ECJ could continue to rule in the UK after Britain leaves the European Union.
A separate warning to Mrs May today, raised by a series of ex-ministers and businessmen, also warns against backsliding on the ECJ amid seven new red lines.
Mr Hunt insisted the Government would not break its promise to ensure the jurisdiction of the ECJ ends after after Brexit.
He said: ‘The Supreme Court will decide what the law of the country is in this country, as voted on by parliament.
Ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith (file) and former Court of Appeal judge Sir Richard Aikens (right) both warned the PM to block any future role for the European Court of Justice
‘That is the big thing that Theresa May has achieved.
‘These are negotiations and there are technical things that we have to sort out. The fact is that the ECJ will not have sway over British law, that is a very big change.
Education Secretary Justine Greening offered her own endorsement of the PM in an interview with the BBC’s Andrew Marr.
‘In terms of migrants rights, we have lots of Brits who are living in Spain and there are lots of Europeans who are living over here and there’s going to need to be some kind of co-operation between the legal systems of the EU and the UK to make this work.
‘But this is a detail, the big thing is that European law will not hold sway over British law.’
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable seized on Mr Hunt’s remarks.
He said: ‘It is encouraging to see a senior cabinet minister admit that the option of an Exit from Brexit is still on the table.
‘This comes as we see growing support amongst the public for a referendum on the deal.
‘The government must now confirm that Article 50 can be withdrawn and that the country still has a choice over whether to proceed with Brexit.
‘As the impact of Brexit becomes clear, from the £50bn divorce bill to years of lower living standards, people must be able to choose whether to accept the deal on offer or stay in the EU.’