Brexit Conservative rebels back pact on single market

Bloomberg

Twelve Conservative lawmakers have signed an amendment calling on Theresa May to abandon her Brexit strategy and keep the UK in the single market after the divorce.
The move — less than 24 hours after the opposition Labour Party shifted its position toward keeping closer ties with the bloc — has the potential to change May’s Brexit stance as well as create chaos on the domestic political front.
May doesn’t have a majority so even small rebellions can be enough to defeat the government. She has vowed to leave the single market and customs union, much to the disappointment of UK business. Changing tack would probably bring a leadership challenge from the Brexit backers in her party.
The new amendment is to the Trade Bill, a long-delayed piece of legislation for which no vote has yet been scheduled. It’s separate to the EU Withdrawal Bill, which has been heavily amended in the House of Lords and is coming back to the House of Commons
next week for a marathon session in which the government will try to strip off all the Lords’ additions.
The move from the 12 rebel Tories comes just hours after the Labour leadership proposed an amendment to the withdrawal bill calling for single market membership. But the Labour proposal stops short of calling for full membership of the European Economic Area. The Tories’ trade amendment does call for EEA membership — which is single market membership and acceptance of EU rules.
Pro-EU Labour lawmakers wanted leader Jeremy Corbyn to go all out and call for EEA membership but he probably doesn’t have enough support in his party for that as lawmakers from Leave-voting constituencies in particular object.