Cabinet fight over Brexit transition

Ministers have clashed this week over the issue of free movement after Britain leaves the European Union. Matthew Partridge reports.

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Liam Fox: "keeping faith" with the referendum
(Image credit: 2017 Getty Images)

"Downing Street has sought to rein in Chancellor Philip Hammond in an apparent attempt to prevent Brexit divisions descending into a cabinet civil war," says Joe Watts in The Independent. Hammond had suggested that free movement "in all but name" would carry on for a three-year period after Brexit. By contrast, Trade Secretary Liam Fox stated that unregulated free movement post-Brexit would "not keep faith" with the referendum result. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman agreed that it "would be wrong to suggest freedom of movement would continue unchanged".

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Dr Matthew Partridge
Shares editor, MoneyWeek

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.

He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.

Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.

As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri