Britain will not "surrender" in its fight to win a bespoke deal with the European Union that would offer tariff-free trade as well as control over immigration, a minister said on Sunday before a crunch week for the government in Brexit negotiations.
Interior minister Amber Rudd was one of several senior Conservative lawmakers to take to the airwaves to support Prime Minister Theresa May, under pressure from Brexit hard-liners who fear she is diluting her plans for a clean break with the EU.
With reports in the local media suggesting that pro-Brexit ministers are being urged to get ready to replace May, Rudd tried to play down the deep divisions in government, saying there was more unity than so-called Brexiteers thought.