LONDON: The British Cabinet is still locked in heated discussions at 10 Downing Street over plans floated by Prime Minister Andy Burnham to reconsider Brexit – the decision by the UK to leave the European Union (EU) taken after a 2016 referendum was approved by voters. (main picture)
Mr Burnham – Labour leader and PM for less than three months – said Brexit had caused Britain “more harm than good” and he was prepared to consider a range of options ranging from maintaining current arrangements outside of the EU, seeking a customs union, returning to a single market for British and European goods and services, or going “all the way” and resuming full EU membership.
A Downing Street spokesperson said following the PM’s statement he called a Cabinet meeting which had now been under way for more than 12 hours.
“The discussion has been quite vigorous, even heated at times,” the source said. “We can hear the raised voices of ministers even through the soundproofed walls and doors of the cabinet room.
“From what we have heard, there hasn’t been any substantive discussion of the options the PM outlined. In fact the ministers haven’t even started discussing any single one of them.
“All they’ve been arguing about so far is what to call whatever position the UK ends up taking if and when they actually do discuss the options and agree to implement one of them.
“Everyone in the cabinet room agrees that the very term ‘Brexit’ was easy to absorb and probably helped voters make up their minds at the referendum, so there is a need now for a similarly simple and catchy expression.
“So far the terms we have heard through the wall being offered by some ministers have been ‘Brentry’ and even ‘Bre-entry’.
“Another minister suggested ‘Bracktrack’ which was roundly dismissed as being too negative.
“Then someone favouring a single market offered something more positive in ‘Braccess’, as in Britain getting access to European markets.
“A more cynical member of cabinet put forward ‘Brackflip’ which raised a laugh.
“From the fragments of conversations we can hear it seems ministers are now coalescing around the term ‘Breverse-a-fucking-stupid-decision’.
“Everyone in the room seems to like it, although it sounds like there are some legitimate concerns that it might be a tad too long if it needs to be used in any campaign website address,” the spokesperson said.
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