May’s premiership on brink
Theresa May’s premiership was hanging by a thread yesterday as her own MPs called on her to ‘‘stand aside’’ after a devastating day of ministerial resignations over her Brexit plan.
The Prime Minister insisted that she would ‘‘see this through’’ and fight any attempt to oust her, as she said she was still able to bear the ‘‘heavy responsibility’’ of her office.
However, her position looked increasingly precarious as Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leading Eurosceptic, said he had ‘‘no confidence’’ in May, as he and other Tory MPs formally called for a vote on her leadership, which could come as early as Monday. It came after Dominic Raab dramatically quit as Brexit Secretary, saying he could not support the deal May proposed to agree with the EU.
Esther McVey also resigned as Work and Pensions Secretary as a total of seven ministers and senior MPs quit their posts. Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, was said to be considering his future after apparently turning down an offer to become Raab’s replacement.
At least two other ministers, Penny Mordaunt and Andrea Leadsom, were said to be considering walking out of the Cabinet, amid speculation that a second day of high-profile resignations could make May’s position untenable.
The Daily Telegraph can also disclose that the Conservative Party’s deal with the DUP – upon which May relies for her majority – is over unless May is replaced with a new leader.
Sources close to Arlene Foster confirmed that the party would vote down the Withdrawal Agreement in Parliament, adding that their support now ‘‘depended on who the leader of the Conservative Party is’’.
At a press conference in Downing Street, May was asked if she would fight any confidence vote, and replied: ‘‘Am I going to see this through? Yes.’’
She said: ‘‘I believe with every fibre of my being that the course I have set out is the right one for our country and all our people.’’ Raab, who had been expected to travel to Brussels for a handshake on the deal with Michel Barnier, said in his resignation letter he could not accept ‘‘an indefinite backstop arrangement’’ for the Irish border.
McVey said: ‘‘We have gone from no deal is better than a bad deal, to any deal is better than no deal. I cannot defend this, and I cannot vote for this deal.’’
During a tumultuous threehour interrogation by MPs in the Commons, the scale of the task facing May if she is to get her Brexit deal through Parliament became clear, as Tory and DUP MPs lined up to berate the Prime Minister’s proposal.
They included Rees-Mogg, who told May that ‘‘what [she] says and what [she] does no longer match’’. Rees-Mogg disclosed he had told Julian Smith, the Chief Whip, weeks ago that May’s time was up, and that he had tried to avoid the ‘‘disagreeable’’ spectacle of a no-confidence vote but that it was no longer possible.
He said the draft Brexit deal ‘‘has turned out to be worse than anticipated’’, and called on the Conservative Party to ditch May and replace her with a Leave supporter, citing Boris Johnson, David Davis, Raab, McVey and Mordaunt as potential successors.
He ruled himself out of the running, saying: ‘‘I’m not offering my name as leader. This is nothing to do with me.’’ Downing Street is now on alert for a noconfidence vote among Tory MPs within days, after other MPs rowed in behind Rees-Mogg by submitting letters calling for a vote. Tory Party rules state a vote must be held ‘‘as soon as possible’’ if 15 per cent of the Parliamentary party – meaning 48 MPs – submit letters. It means a vote could be held as soon as Monday if the threshold is crossed today.