Amber Rudd, David Gauke and Greg Clark will reportedly vote to extend Article 50 in defiance of UK PM Theresa May if her deal doesn’t get enough votes on Wednesday.
The three ministers acknowledged May’s “extraordinary determination and resilience” in working on the deal to leave the EU, but say there will not be enough time to bring new legislation to the table before 29 March – a date the British PM has repeatedly refused to postpone. They warn that a no-deal Brexit could result in severe damage to the economy, national security and even the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom.
“Costs will increase, businesses that rely on just-in-time supply chains will be severely disrupted and investment will be discouraged. Obviously, trade with the EU will become harder but so will trade with important non-EU economies, like Japan and South Korea, with whom we currently trade with the benefit of free trade agreements available for EU members,” they wrote.