MAY: IT’S EU OR ME
▶ British PM says leadership vote has jeopardised Brexit ▶ Rest of Europe watches developments with alarm ▶ Political instability weighs heavily on financial markets
Theresa May fought a confidence vote for her Conservative leadership yesterday, warning that a race to find her replacement would put at risk the historic British attempt to quit the EU in March.
The British Prime Minister said that with less than four months before the deadline, Britain could not afford an election in the ruling party.
A confidence motion in Mrs May’s two-year prime ministership was triggered after more than 48 Conservative MPs demanded the opportunity to change leader.
She came out fighting yesterday as markets digested the latest blow to the prospect of an orderly British divorce from the world’s largest trading bloc.
More than 160 Conservative MPs publicly declared support for Mrs May during the day – more than the majority she needed to win.
Before the vote, she spoke to backbench MPs and was said to have pledged her intention not to lead the party into the next general election in return for their support late last night.
She stressed her long service of the party from local activist to her leader. The Conservatives banged desks as she entered the room for an address before the vote.
Mrs May’s spokesman sought to reassure Conservatives the vote would not determine who would lead the party into the next general election, due in 2022. Some drew encouragement from the hint that Mrs May could leave after Brexit.
“This isn’t about who leads party into next election, it’s about whether it makes sense to change leader at this stage of the Brexit negotiations,” he said.
“She believes it is her duty to serve as long as the party wants her to. She serves at the pleasure of the Conservative party.”
Senior colleagues hit out at the instability of a leadership election as a campaign to save the Mrs May got under way.
“I shall be supporting the prime minister this evening,” Attorney General Geoffrey Cox said. “This is no time for the self-indulgent spasm of a leadership election. Nothing fundamental will be altered by it.”
Philip Hammond, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, described the challengers as extremists.
“I’m very clear that the prime minister will have the support of the great majority of parliamentary colleagues,” said Mr Hammond earlier yesterday.
“What this vote today will do is flush out the extremists who are trying to advance a particular agenda that would really not be in the interests of the British people or the British economy.
“Leaving the EU without a deal would be bad for Britain,” he said.
But a minister from the rival Brexit camp, Michael Gove, defended Mrs May. “The prime minister will win tonight and she will win handsomely,” Mr Gove said.
“I regret that a leadership contest has been triggered but I respect my colleagues. I know that everyone has made their decision after careful thought.
“The one thing I would ask every Conservative MP to do is to ponder before they cast their vote this evening is if we don’t support the prime minister, then we risk derailing or diluting Brexit.
“If we do support the prime minister we can honour the mandate that the British people have given us.”
Political commentator Phillip Blond told The National that the leadership election represented a push by hardliners to seize control amid the tensions of Brexit and pull the Conservatives into a new direction.
“If Theresa May fails tonight to secure enough of a confidence vote to keep her in office, we will have a new prime minister and he or she will be a hard Brexiteer,” Mr Blond said.
“And then the Brexiteers, from their point of view, will have won control of the party and then we are heading, in my view, towards a managed nodeal. Whatever that means.”
The bid to oust Mrs May was reportedly being co-ordinated from the office of Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader ousted by backbenchers in 2005.
European leaders rebuffed requests to hint at more concessions to Mrs May after she delayed the parliamentary vote on Brexit that was scheduled for Tuesday.
“Once again, the fate of EUUK relations, the prosperity of businesses and citizens’ rights are consumed by an internal Conservative party catfight over Europe,” said Guy Verhofstadt, a leading member of the European Parliament.
“I hope that whatever happens, at least the vote will make clear that a disastrous no-deal is off the table.”
Mrs May cancelled a trip to Dublin yesterday for talks with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. She is still expected to attend an EU summit in Brussels today and tomorrow.