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| 'Have cake and eat it' Brexit notes played down by government | 'Have cake and eat it' Brexit notes played down by government |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The government has distanced itself from a page of Brexit notes caught on camera in Westminster. | The government has distanced itself from a page of Brexit notes caught on camera in Westminster. |
| The handwritten notes, carried by an aide to Conservative MP Mark Field, included "what's the model? Have your cake and eat it" and "unlikely" in reference to the EU single market. | The handwritten notes, carried by an aide to Conservative MP Mark Field, included "what's the model? Have your cake and eat it" and "unlikely" in reference to the EU single market. |
| They were photographed after Mr Field and his aide left a meeting with the Brexit department at 9 Downing Street. | They were photographed after Mr Field and his aide left a meeting with the Brexit department at 9 Downing Street. |
| The government said the notes did not reflect its Brexit position. | The government said the notes did not reflect its Brexit position. |
| "These individual notes do not belong to a government official or a special adviser. They do not reflect the government's position in relation to Brexit negotiations," a spokesman said. | "These individual notes do not belong to a government official or a special adviser. They do not reflect the government's position in relation to Brexit negotiations," a spokesman said. |
| The notes, held by Mr Field's chief of staff Julia Dockerill, were captured on a long-lens camera by photographer Steve Back. | |
| "Difficult on article 50 implementation - Barnier wants to see what deal looks like first," they note, in an apparent reference to the lead EU negotiator Michel Barnier. | "Difficult on article 50 implementation - Barnier wants to see what deal looks like first," they note, in an apparent reference to the lead EU negotiator Michel Barnier. |
| "Got to be done in parallel - 20 odd negotiations. Keep the two years. Won't provide more detail. We think it's unlikely we'll be offered single market," they also say. | "Got to be done in parallel - 20 odd negotiations. Keep the two years. Won't provide more detail. We think it's unlikely we'll be offered single market," they also say. |
| The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith says the government's response, playing down the picture's significance, underlines just how "awkward" it is, because it does seem to be of a view held "within" the Brexit department. | The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith says the government's response, playing down the picture's significance, underlines just how "awkward" it is, because it does seem to be of a view held "within" the Brexit department. |
| "The real damage is that phrase 'what is the model? Have cake and eat it.' The damage is the way that will be read by other EU countries," he says. | "The real damage is that phrase 'what is the model? Have cake and eat it.' The damage is the way that will be read by other EU countries," he says. |
| It is not known who Mr Field - a vice-chairman of the Conservative Party and MP for the Cities of London and Westminster - was meeting, or if the page of scribbled notes being carried by his aide is definitely an account of talks at the department handling Britain's departure from the EU. | It is not known who Mr Field - a vice-chairman of the Conservative Party and MP for the Cities of London and Westminster - was meeting, or if the page of scribbled notes being carried by his aide is definitely an account of talks at the department handling Britain's departure from the EU. |
| The notes appear to suggest that a transitional arrangement - which would allow the UK continued access to the single market after Brexit while it negotiates a new trade deal - is also unlikely. | The notes appear to suggest that a transitional arrangement - which would allow the UK continued access to the single market after Brexit while it negotiates a new trade deal - is also unlikely. |
| "Transitional - loath to do it. Whitehall will hold onto it. We need to bring an end to negotiations," the paper reads. | "Transitional - loath to do it. Whitehall will hold onto it. We need to bring an end to negotiations," the paper reads. |
| The government's private Brexit planning has created a public vacuum, into which inky handwritten scrawls from an MP's assistant are easily drawn. | The government's private Brexit planning has created a public vacuum, into which inky handwritten scrawls from an MP's assistant are easily drawn. |
| The notes are suggestive of a position broadly similar to what's become known as a "hard" Brexit - out of the single market, a deal for specific sectors (tougher to get for services than manufacturing), and a deal done in two years (no transitional agreement to cushion the changes). | The notes are suggestive of a position broadly similar to what's become known as a "hard" Brexit - out of the single market, a deal for specific sectors (tougher to get for services than manufacturing), and a deal done in two years (no transitional agreement to cushion the changes). |
| And having the cake while wanting to eat it too - reflective of Boris Johnson's famous phrase meaning the desire to have free trade without accepting imposed immigration, or freedom of movement. | And having the cake while wanting to eat it too - reflective of Boris Johnson's famous phrase meaning the desire to have free trade without accepting imposed immigration, or freedom of movement. |
| But one huge caveat: We don't know whose view - or views - are reflected in these notes. It is clear there are significant differences of opinion on Brexit strategy across government - not least between the EU exit department and the Treasury... and in the vacuum we don't know who will win the debate. | But one huge caveat: We don't know whose view - or views - are reflected in these notes. It is clear there are significant differences of opinion on Brexit strategy across government - not least between the EU exit department and the Treasury... and in the vacuum we don't know who will win the debate. |
| The document also says it is "unlikely" the UK will remain in the single market, and that a transitional arrangement, immediately after Brexit, will not happen either. | The document also says it is "unlikely" the UK will remain in the single market, and that a transitional arrangement, immediately after Brexit, will not happen either. |
| It says a deal on manufacturing should be "relatively straightforward", but one on services will be "harder" to achieve. | It says a deal on manufacturing should be "relatively straightforward", but one on services will be "harder" to achieve. |
| And in what appears to be a reference to the negotiating team the government will encounter in Brussels, the document says: "Very French. Need fair process guaranteed." | And in what appears to be a reference to the negotiating team the government will encounter in Brussels, the document says: "Very French. Need fair process guaranteed." |
| The government has refused to reveal details of its Brexit negotiation strategy in advance, saying it will not offer a "running commentary". | The government has refused to reveal details of its Brexit negotiation strategy in advance, saying it will not offer a "running commentary". |
| Debate has focused on the level of access the UK could secure to the single market, and whether this would come at the price of greater immigration controls. | Debate has focused on the level of access the UK could secure to the single market, and whether this would come at the price of greater immigration controls. |
| For Labour, shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer called for the Government "to come clean, to end this unnecessary uncertainty and publish a clear plan for Brexit". | |
| "These disclosures are significant because they suggest that the Government is not even going to fight for the single market or customs union in the negotiations. If that is the case, there are huge implications for the economy, for businesses and for jobs in the UK," he said. | |
| Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said: "If this is a strategy it is incoherent. We can't have our cake and eat it and there is no certainty on the single market. This picture shows the Government doesn't have a plan or even a clue." |