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May stems Cabinet defections in Brexit negotiations

By Clyde Hughes
British Prime Minister Theresa May delivers her keynote leader’s speech at the 2018 Conservative Party Conference Oct. 3. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI
British Prime Minister Theresa May delivers her keynote leader’s speech at the 2018 Conservative Party Conference Oct. 3. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 16 (UPI) -- U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May appeared to have stopped defections from her Cabinet Friday as the country continued to struggle with hammering out a Brexit deal with the European Union.

Cabinet members Michael Gove and Liam Fox voiced their support for May on Friday, adding that they were not planning on leaving. Fox urged Parliament members to support May's draft Brexit agreement, saying a "deal was better than no deal," BBC News reported.

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On Thursday, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey, along with two other junior ministers, resigned over Britain's proposed deal for Great Britain to leave the EU.

Critics in May's Conservative Party said the deal doesn't do enough to separate the United Kingdom from the European Union's single market and does not address adequately the border issue between Ireland and Northern Ireland

"I'm also looking forward to continuing to work with all my government colleagues and all my colleagues in parliament in order to make sure that we get the best future for Britain," Gove said, rejecting rumors that he was prepared to follow Raab and McVey.

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Mark Field, Britain's Foreign Office minister, also called on Parliament to rally around May.

"I think just to watch MPs squabbling is not a very edifying scene," Field said, according to The Guardian. "I would also say, not just to my own party but across the political divide to Labour MPs, please, please put the national interest first.

"The idea of playing politics on such an important issue when the option is a no deal which would be pretty calamitous, not just for us but the rest of Europe as well, this is not a sensible way forward and I can well understand why business despairs," he continued.

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