After cabinet Brexit deal, May must persuade MPs and Brussels

LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa has persuaded her eurosceptic ministers to back a plan for closer trade ties with the EU after Brexit, but some MPs expressed alarm -- and she must still sell it to Brussels.

After marathon talks at her country retreat on Friday, May's divided cabinet agreed on a new "free trade area" where Britain would accept EU rules for goods.

There had been talk of resignations over the plan, which could keep Britain tied to the bloc for years after Brexit, even if officials stress parliament would reserve the right to diverge.

But leading eurosceptics such as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson fell into line, after reportedly being told there was no alternative that protected trade and avoided border checks in Ireland.

Several pro-Brexit ministers on Saturday publicly backed May, with House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom saying the plan was "good" for Britain, as did some Brexit-backing MPs.

Tory deputy chairman James Cleverly said the deal would give Britain "our sovereignty back, we are going to make decisions about trade and business and laws", while also showing "pragmatism".

Pro-European MP Anna Soubry, who has repeatedly rebelled against the government on EU issues, said it delivered a "business-friendly Brexit".

May now has something to offer Brussels, as time runs out to secure a deal before Britain leaves the EU in March.

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the plans would be assessed after they are published in a policy paper next week, to "see if they are workable and realistic".

- Brexit in all but name -

Uniting her cabinet was a big win for May, after two years of public splits that sparked exasperation among European leaders and businesses seeking a clear path.

In a letter to members of her Conservative party, she said "collective responsibility is now fully restored".

Outside the party, Douglas Carswell, who co-founded the official Brexit campaign in the 2016 referendum, welcomed the proposal.

He said it would allow Britain to "incrementally" move away from the bloc.

"A deal that guarantees us access to the (EU's single market) until such time as we chose regulatory divergence?... Sounds ok to me," he tweeted.

However, UKIP founder Nigel Farage, another key referendum figure, said it was a "sell-out" and left the majority of the economy "trapped" by EU laws.

Taking aim at eurosceptic ministers, he said: "No resignations means that the so-called Brexiteers in cabinet don't have a principle between them."

Veteran eurosceptic MP Bill Cash told the BBC he was "deeply disappointed".

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the eurosceptic European Research Group (ERG) of Conservative MPs, refused to condemn the plan outright.

But he told the BBC: "If, when we get the detailed legislation, it turns out that it is a punishment Brexit, that it is keeping us in the European Union in all but name, I... will not vote for it."

Any final deal must be approved by the House of Commons, and the pro-Brexit Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), whose support May needs for a majority, gave the plan a cautious welcome.

- Cherry-picking? -

Before it goes to MPs, the plan must be agreed with Brussels, which has repeatedly warned it will not accept "cherry-picking" elements of its single market.

Britain appears to do this by suggesting it maintain EU rules on goods but adopt greater flexibility on services and end free moment of people.

Scotland's nationalist First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who strongly opposes Brexit, tweeted that it "reads like cherry-picking" -- but also welcomed its "realism".

She added: "It is surely game on for those who would prefer to see a full single market/customs union" plan.

May visited German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday and reportedly showed her a draft of the proposal.

She has also met recently with EU president Donald Tusk and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who said he was briefed on the plan.

Deputy Irish prime minister Simon Coveney said Saturday it "deserves detailed consideration", adding: "Lots of work ahead."