Theresa May has conceded that her plans for a customs partnership with the EU are “dead” after senior Cabinet ministers turned on her during a crunch Brexit meeting.
Sajid Javid, the new Home Secretary and Remain voter, switched sides to join Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and other Brexiteers in arguing that Mrs May’s preferred option for a customs deal should be “killed off”.
The Prime Minister was said to have been “shocked” at the strength of opposition to her idea during a meeting of the Cabinet’s 11-strong Brexit sub-committee.
Mr Javid’s intervention - on just his third day in the job - proved crucial in swinging the argument, as his predecessor, Amber Rudd, agreed with Mrs May, which would...