Breathing space for May as Tories defy expectations to do well in local elections – but she still faces DELAYING crucial Brexit legislation to avoid disastrous Commons defeat

• Prime Minister is delaying the introduction of the Customs Bill and Trade Bill
• She fears defeat amid reports up to 20 Tory MPs are ready to rebel over bills  
• Defeats would be embarrassing blow for PM in the midst of Brexit negotiations 

Theresa May today proclaimed victory in the local elections – but faces political difficulties in the month ahead as she delays two Brexit bills amid fears of defeat.

The Prime Minister said Labour threw ‘everything’ at their target boroughs in London – but ‘failed’ to snatch any away from the Tories.

A beaming Mrs May visited jubilant Tory activists in Wandsworth, south London this morning to thank campaigners for their work in keeping the council blue. 

She said:  ‘Labour thought they could take control, this was one of their top targets and they threw everything at it, but they failed.’ 

She has emerged unscathed from the vote as predictions the Tories would take a hammering in the local election in London failed to materialise. 

But the PM now faces her major challenge – getting her Brexit plan passed the House of Lords and her rebellious backbench MPs.

The PM (pictured with Try activists in Wandsworth today) is set to delay the introduction of two Brexit related bills amid fears she will suffer a humiliating defeat on them in Parliament

The Prime Minister (pictured in Wandsworth today) said Labour threw ‘everything’ at their target boroughs in London – but ‘failed’ to snatch any away from the Tories

She has decided to delay tabling the Customs and Trade Bills, after her chief whip Julian Smith, said she does not have enough support among her MPs to get them through, it has been reported.

The two Bills must be passed before the UK quits the EU to ensure the country’s ability to trade does not go into meltdown after Brexit.

But up to 20 Tory MPs are reportedly considering rebelling and joining Labour and the Lib Dems in opposing the Bills.

UK could be in the EU’s customs union until 2023 because the post-Brexit system is not ready

Britain could be trapped inside the EU’s customs union until 2023 because the post-Brexit replacement is not ready, officials have warned ministers.

Alternatives to the current system, which Britain has been part of for four decades, are at least give years away from being viable.

The problem is complicated by the Government failing to agree what it wants from the negotiations and the fact no deal is expected with the EU until at least October.

Theresa May met her senior ministers to discuss customs options on Monday night but the crunch Cabinet committee was deadlocked. 

The claims, revealed today by the Daily Telegraph, will enrage Brexiteers and fuel calls for Britain to Brexit immediately.

One senior Brexiteer told The Telegraph: ‘There are genuine concerns that this delay will lead to the UK staying in the customs union permanently.

‘Regardless of that, if we are still in the customs union by the time of the next general election in 2022 it will cause a catastrophe at the polls because we will not have delivered Brexit and voters will not have seen any benefits of leaving the EU.’

Reports of the delay came amid fears Theresa May could try to ignore the objections of her ‘War Cabinet’ to plans for a customs ‘partnership’ with the EU.

The Prime Minister’s favoured blueprint for future trade with Brussels was humiliatingly rejected by senior ministers at a tense three-hour meeting on Monday.  

A backbench rebellion on this scale would be enough to overturn Mrs May’s wafer thin working majority, which stands at just 13 votes.

A defeat on the bills over the next few months would be an embarrassing blow to the Prime Minister just as Britain is in the midst of the second stage of Brexit negotiations to thrash out a trade deal.

Mr Smith is desperate to shield the PM from such a defeat and defer the votes until October, by which time they hope the Brexit deal will be agreed, The Sun reports.

A source told the newspaper: ‘The PM’ thinking is, why jeopardise everything by losing a customs union vote if we don’t have to? 

‘There is time to get the Bills through after October, but it will be very tight.’ 

The PM’s official spokesman said: ‘Timetabling will be set out in due course. ‘We have always been clear we will have all the legislation in place in time for Brexit.’

But critics have warned that the the Tories risk running out of time to get all the pieces of Brexit related legislation through before exit day on 31 December next year.

Ministers still have to get the Immigration Bill and the Withdrawal Agreement Bill through Parliament.

And the Agriculture Bill and the Fisheries Bill also need to be taken through both Houses.

The House of Lords have dealt a series of crushing defeats to Mrs May’s Brexit plans over the past week.

Peers backed an amendment to the Government’s key Brexit bill to give Parliament decision-making power on the outcome of negotiations with the EU – including the power to call off the divorce.

And they also voted against Mrs May’s plans to leave the EU’s customs union after Brexit. 

Labour peer and leading anti-Brexiteer, Lord Adonis, said: ‘Theresa May is in office but not in power. The Prime Minister might dodge and duck vote afraid of defeats but that is not leadership. 

‘The Prime Minister just looks chicken. Is what ‘Taking back Control’ looks like? ‘This whole process is a disaster. 

‘There is a very real possibility MPs won’t approve important things like an immigration bill, a fisheries bill or an agriculture bill before they vote on withdrawal. MPs are being asked to vote blind.’ 

It comes amid separate reports officials have warned ministers that Britain could be trapped inside the EU’s customs union until 2023 because the post-Brexit replacement is not ready.

A defeat on the bills in Parliament (pictured) over the next few months would be an embarrassing blow to the Prime Minister just as Britain is in the midst of the second stage of Brexit negotiations to thrash out a trade deal 

Mrs May has vowed to take Britain out of the EU customs union – which must happen if the UK is to be free to sign trade deals with countries around the world.

She has put forward two plans for a post Brexit customs arrangement.

One is a a customs partnership which would see the UK act on the EU’s behalf when imports arrive from the rest of the world – collecting duties which the ocuntry would then pay to the bloc.

Under the second proposal, known as maximum facilitation or max-fac, the UK and EU would create as frictionless a customs border as possible.

This would mean technology was used to track goods and businesses importing and exporting over the border regularly would get ‘trusted status’ to minimise the need for customs checks. 

  

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