Party chief attacks ‘foolish’ feuding that divides Tories
ALLIES of Theresa May yesterday told Brexit rebels to stop their petty sniping amid fears the vicious feuding could rip the Tories apart.
As the party’s civil war over Brexit raged, loyalists hit back at hardline Brexiteer demands that the Prime Minister should quit as leader, despite her victory in Wednesday’s no-confidence vote.
Tory deputy chairman James Cleverly warned: “Some colleagues, perhaps out of frustration, are saying foolish things about other Conservatives. Now would be a good time to stop.
“Respect the results of the two referendums – 52 per cent to leave the EU and 63 per cent to support Theresa May.”
His comments came as former Brexit Secretary and likely future leadership contender Dominic Raab became the biggest hitter to say Mrs May’s position remains in peril. Mr Raab, who voted to topple Mrs May, said: “I didn’t think her position had been tenable.
“My biggest fear now is that if she continues in place, we have a greater risk of a Jeremy Corbyn government.
“We will have to back her as best we can, but the problem is, both in relation to Brexit and the wider sustainability of the Government... it looks very difficult to see how this prime minister can lead us forward.”
Brexiteers led by Jacob Rees-Mogg also repeated demands for Mrs May to resign, insisting Wednesday’s 200-117 vote showed she had lost the confidence of more than a third of her MPs and the majority of backbenchers.
And he said yesterday it was “not impossible” that Mrs May might change her mind and resign.
“You may remember that Margaret Thatcher said, ‘We fight on, we fight to win’,” Mr Rees-Mogg told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
“Nobody was tougher than Mrs Thatcher and the next day she resigned. So it’s not impossible.”
He added: “I think Theresa May should consider what she said last night. I agree with her that we do want somebody who can unite the country and the Conservative Party, and she has to ask herself, is she realistically that person?”