May's Brexit Deemed Dead as Cabinet Splits on Way Forward: Times

(Bloomberg) -- A majority of the U.K. cabinet considers Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal to be dead and three factions are discussing other options, including a second referendum, The Times reported.

The rival groups plan to make opposing demands to May at a meeting next week, the newspaper said, without saying how it got the information.

One group -- Works and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd, Chancellor Philip Hammond, Cabinet Office Secretary David Lidington, Justice Secretary David Gauke and Business Secretary Greg Clark -- is leaning toward backing a second referendum if all other options are exhausted, according to the newspaper’s account.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Home Secretary Sajid Javid are understood to be refusing to accept the prospect of leaving without a deal but want Brexit to proceed. Gove is thought to prefer the idea of a softer departure such as a Norway-style deal.

A third group of House of Common leader Andrea Leadsom, Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt are said to be willing to leave without a deal, the newspaper said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rita Devlin Marier in San Francisco at rdevlin5@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Steve Geimann at sgeimann@bloomberg.net;Matthew G. Miller at mmiller144@bloomberg.net

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