On the thorny issue of free movement of people he admitted it would be ‘some time’ before full migration controls could be introduced, but stressed there must be ‘business as usual’ for Britons as the UK begins to extricate itself from the EU. All well and good. Except that several leading Tory figures don’t appear to agree with him. In an interview with The Sunday Times, the International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox said he had “not been party” to widely-reported talks about a “transitional” period over when free movement is retained and that the unregulated free movement of people after Brexit would ‘not keep faith’ with the EU Referendum result. Meanwhile, writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Gerard Lyons – a leading City economist and close ally of Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson – said that any transition phase should be two years, 12 months less than Mr Hammond had previously outlined. These public disagreements lay bare the divisions that exist within the Cabinet. Ordinarily Theresa May would exert her control and ensure there was unity within the ranks. However, her influence has been greatly diminished following last month’s General Election, the result of which has created a power vacuum within her party. These divisions simply cannot be allowed to continue. As the country enters into arguably the most critical period of its post-war history, Cabinet Ministers should be focused on securing the best deal possible for the UK, not bickering and undermining one another. For if they can’t present a united front then what chance do we have of achieving a successful outcome at the Brexit negotiating table?
