Finance

62 Eurosceptic MPs have written to Theresa May with a list of ‘suggestions’ for Brexit

Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a speech during the fourth day of the Conservative Party Conference 2016 at the ICC Birmingham on October 5, 2016 in Birmingham, England.
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  • 62 Eurosceptic MPs have written to Theresa May with a list of “suggestions” for Brexit.
  • The members of the European Research Group are pushing for a clean break from the EU with “full regulatory autonomy” outside of the European Single Market.
  • Business Insider previously reported that the European Parliament plans to call for the UK to have “privileged” access to the Single Market.

Dozens of Eurosceptic Conservative MPs have written to Theresa May to lay out a list of demands for their vision of Brexit.

On Friday, 62 members of the European Research Group, a group of anti-EU MPs, sent a letter to the Prime Minister calling for the UK to leave the single market and laying out a series of “suggestions” for the terms on which Britain should exit the European Union.

The letter was first obtained by The Times’ Sam Coates, and has since been share widely on social media. (You can read the full letter below.)

The demands include:

  • That the UK is free to start negotiating new trade deals with non-EU countries immediately after Brexit in March 2019, and that any “implementation period” doesn’t restrict the UK’s ability to do so.
  • That the UK has “full regulatory autonomy” and isn’t constrained by EU rules after-Brexit — which would be a possible outcome if the government successfully pushes for a close relationship with the organisation.

“Leaving [the EU customs Union and Single Market] isn’t a question of ideology, but practicality,” the MPs wrote, “we cant’ strike those free trade deals if we don’t.”

Signatories include Priti Patel, Jacob Rees-Mogg, John Redwood, and Iain Duncan Smith.

The intervention comes ahead of Theresa May’s cabinet meeting for an “away day” at Cheqeuers on Thursday to try and agree on what the Brexit “end state” will look like.

As the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg noted, the number of signatories on the letter is significantly greater than the number of MP’s needed for a leadership challenge: 48. The implication is that the group has, in theory, the strength to remove May — if they have the political will.

Earlier on Tuesday, Business Insider reported that the European Parliament is planning to call for Britain to have “privileged” access to the European Single Market after Brexit, including membership of EU agencies. The pound climbed 0.5% against the Euro following the news.

Here’s the full letter:

Faisal Islam/Twitter

Faisal Islam/Twitter

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