Crunch Brexit meeting ongoing at UK PM's country retreat

LONDON - British Prime Minister Theresa May's top team of ministers arrived at her country retreat, Chequers, on Friday at what is expected to be a lengthy session to discuss a deal Britain wants with the European Union (EU) after it leaves the 28-nation bloc.

London's national newspapers captured the drama of the highly crucial meeting, with reports that even May's most trusted ministers will have to hand in cellphones and smart watches to ensure nothing discussed within the walls of the 16th century manor house are leaked to the outside world.

A team of armed police officers checked ministerial cars as they arrived at the prime minister's country retreat in Buckinghamshire.

May's main aim is to ensure the Chequers meeting concludes with the backing of her ministerial team for the proposed deal she wants to hand to Brussels.

May has already laid some of her cards on the table with the kind of deal she is aiming for, suggesting Britain would remain in full regulatory alignment with the EU on goods, but not services.

That sparked an immediate backlash from strong supporters of a harder Brexit with claims it would make it impossible for Britain to negotiate a U.S.-UK trade deal.

The Independent newspaper reported Friday that on the eve of the Chequers meeting, senior "Brexiteer" ministers, led by foreign secretary Boris Johnson, met for private talks on Thursday night at the Foreign Office to discuss the situation.

There have been calls for dissenting ministers to resign if they are unable to offer their full support to May at her Chequers meeting.

Former Cabinet minister Nicky Morgan said in a Friday morning radio interview that May's Cabinet ministers should adhere to the rules of collective responsibility.

She said: "Everybody should be able to express their views very thoroughly as to what they think, but when they have come up with an agreed position, if somebody said, 'I just cannot live with this, this is not what I want,' then, yes, I think that they would have to think about their position."

In another interview, Cabinet minister David Lidington, who is regarded as May's de-facto deputy prime minister, said he was pretty confident that ministers would be brought into line.

To add to the unfolding drama, the Daily Telegraph reported late Friday morning that a fleet of taxis was on standby at Chequers to bring any resigning ministers on the 65-km journey back to central London.

The newspaper reported that May has warned her Cabinet ministers that they will be replaced if they resign over Brexit.

A Downing Street source has suggested that one or two resignations might not cause the prime minister too much damage as she tries to stamp her authority on her Cabinet, said the Telegraph.

The report added that one of May's allies said Friday morning that the prime minister "is more than ready for big-name resignations."

"The source said that a "full reshuffle plan" is already in place, adding: "Collective responsibility will be asserted at the end of the day," the Telegraph reported.