Tag: Robert Courts

The prime minister was asked on the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show what the “brutal” Brexit negotiating advice was that Trump had talked about in their joint press conference outside the prime minister’s Chequers country retreat. Trump leaves the UK this afternoon to fly to Helsinki to meet the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. On Friday, Trump had said he gave May “a suggestion, I wouldn’t say advice” about how to handle the Brexit talks, without revealing what it was. I gave her a suggestion, not advice. May indicated she would seek to fight off any challenge, saying: “I want to focus people’s minds on how you ensure you achieve that prize, the benefits of leaving the European Union.” She added: “I have always said I’m in this for the long term.” However, her immediate prospects took a blow, when the MP who took over from David Cameron said he was resigning as a junior minister so that he could vote against the government in the Commons in the taxation (cross border trade) bill on Monday. Robert Courts said that he had taken the “very difficult decision” to resign “to express discontent” in votes. “This seems to be a hopeless way to negotiate, to accept what the other side says at an early stage of negotiations as holy writ.” He added: “This is why I think she is a remainer, who has remained a remainer.” But Rees-Mogg repeatedly declined to call for a change of leader, instead saying it was necessary for May to change policy. He said ERG members would mount a show of strength on Monday evening, by voting for hard-Brexit amendments on the customs bill. “The inevitable consequence of the parliamentary arithmetic,” he said, “is she will need to change it [Brexit policy] if she is to keep the party united.” The prime minister was initially embarrassed by Trump when he gave an interview to the Sun, published on the morning of the press conference, in which he appeared to say that May’s Brexit plan would prevent a trade deal with the US and said Johnson would make a good prime minister. Trump subsequently apologised to May in private and partially backtracked on the remarks on Friday, saying that the UK should pursue its own Brexit policy and trade negotiations but: “Just make sure you can trade with us.” Marr also asked May if she believed Trump had “a medical problem” with stairs because he frequently takes her hand when the pair find themselves facing a step or two.