May’s pledge – no turning back on Brexit
She also rules out deal with leadership rival Boris
THERESA May today pledges there will be no turning back on Brexit as the two Tory big beasts go to war for the Premiership.
Despite campaigning for Remain, the Home Secretary will promise to take Britain out of the EU and curb the free movement of migrants.
Launching what will be a fierce leadership battle with Boris Johnson, she also promises to appoint a Cabinet Minister for Brexit who will be a Eurosceptic.
She will say that her vision as PM will be to restore battered public trust in politics by presiding over a Government that ‘works not for a privileged few but for every one of us’.
Two hours after her official declaration, Mr Johnson will officially unveil his own ‘Back Boris in 2016’ campaign. The ex-London mayor will pledge ‘opportunity’ for all and urge Britain to believe in itself again post-Brexit.
Yesterday, Mrs May’s aides vowed there would be ‘no deals’ cut with Mr Johnson – triggering a potentially bruising nine-week battle for the top job that both have coveted for years.
And last night there was a boost to her leadership ambitions after Tory members gave her a 17-point lead over Mr Johnson. In the first poll of party members since the EU Referendum, support for Mrs May was at 55 per cent and at 38 per cent for Mr Johnson.
Tory members had been asked which of the pair they would support if they were head-tohead in the final round of the contest.
The poll was carried out by YouGov for The Times. Writing in the newspaper, Mrs May set her sights on Mr Johnson’s privileged background as she attacked Westminster figures who do not appreciate hardship and believe the government ‘is a game’.
The declarations of Mr Johnson and Mrs May today will fully ignite the battle to become Britain’s next prime minister in early September. Other declared candidates include ex-Cabinet secretary Liam Fox and Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb who is running on a ‘dream ticket’ with Business Secretary Sajid Javid.
On a day of intrigue and backroom deals at Westminster, the leading contenders announced a number of heavyweight backers. Mrs May has secured the support of Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, International Development Secretary Justine Greening and housing minister Brandon Lewis, who praised her sincerity and serious style. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan – a potential runner herself – held a meeting with Mrs May yesterday, triggering speculation that she could cut a deal.
Energy minister Andrea Leadsom and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will both announce if they are standing later today. Speculation is rife that Mrs Leadsom could join the Johnson camp – bagging a senior job in the process.
Mrs May will make a commitment to imple- menting the Brexit vote in full, and without the need for any further referendum. Friends said she would view anything else as being a ‘betrayal’ of the wishes of the public.
She will stress her successes in negotiating with Brussels while in the Home Office and will state that any trade deal reached with the EU must include curbs on free movement.
To reassure Eurosceptics, she will pledge to appoint a ‘Cabinet Minister for Brexit’, who will be based inside the Cabinet Office and lead the negotiations with the EU. Mrs May, speaking in central London, will be clear about that the process of leaving the EU will not be ‘brief or straightforward’.
She will then say: ‘That means it is going to require significant expertise and a consistent approach. I will therefore create a new government department responsible for conducting Britain’s negotiation with the EU.
‘That department will be led by a senior secretary of state – and I will make sure that the position is taken by a member of Parliament who campaigned for Britain to leave the EU. The job now is about uniting the party, uniting the country and negotiating the best possible deal for Britain.’
Mr Johnson is rumoured to have 100 supporters while Mrs May reportedly has between 50 and 80. In a bid to gather as much support as possible before next Tuesday’s first round of voting at Westminster, she will today outline her ‘vision’ for the country.
Friends said her determination is to re-unite the country by standing up for all sections of society. They point to her decision to introduce a modern slavery bill and limit the use of stop and search, which was being disproportionately targeted at young black men.
Mrs May will say: ‘We need a bold, new, positive vision for the future of our country – a vision of a country that works not for a privi- leged few but for every one of us.’ She will also add that Britain is the ‘same outward-looking and globally-minded and big-thinking country we have always been – and we remain open for business and welcoming to foreign talent’.
Yesterday it emerged that an attempt to bring the two together on a joint ticket failed when Mr Johnson was kept waiting for 20 minutes by the Home Secretary, who announced she was not coming.
Mrs May’s spokesman declared after the incident was revealed: ‘Theresa is in it to win it. She does not want any deals. She would rather lose than do a deal.’
Other backers unveiled by Mrs May yesterday include justice minister Mike Penning – a former top aide to Iain Duncan Smith who campaigned for Leave. Meanwhile,
‘A bold new vision for our country’
Mr Johnson will say that, post Brexit, now is a time of opportunity. He will say: ‘The chance to believe in ourselves; the chance to believe in the values that make our country great.’
Yesterday, Mr Johnson added more names to his list of backers – which supporters claim number 100, though others have cast doubt on this figure. They include ex-Tory leadership contender David Davis, education minister and Gove ally Nick Gibb and James Wharton, the northern powerhouse minister and close ally of George osborne.
Mr Wharton said that Mr Johnson manages to engage with ‘huge swathes of our country’ who feel alienated from Westminster politics.
other supporters of the ex-London mayor include Tory rising stars Dominic raab and Priti Patel, plus Environment Secretary Liz Truss.