DON’T BETRAY YOUR VOTERS!
Tory rebels frustrating Brexit face backlash from their own grassroots and fellow MPs who tell them...
TORY ‘ mutineers’ faced a grassroots backlash last night after threatening to frustrate Brexit in Parliament.
Fifteen rebels have told party whips they may vote against a bid to enshrine in law the date for leaving the EU.
Sources believe the number could top 20 – enough to overturn Theresa May’s slender Commons majority when the issue comes to a vote next month. Tory councillors and voters in the rebels’ constituencies – many of which voted to leave the EU last year – warned this could usher in a Labour government.
The rebels yesterday claimed they were being bullied because of their stance.
But David Campbell Bannerman, a eurosceptic Tory MEP, said they were in ‘contempt of democracy’ and should be kicked out of the party. In other developments:
Priti Patel made her Commons return with an attack on pro-Remain MPs;
19 Labour MPs face criticism for voting against leaving the EU;
An ICM poll put the Tories neck and neck with Labour, despite the Government’s woes;
Tory rebels have now backed more than 20
amendments to the European Union Withdrawal Bill;
A key ally of Angela Merkel said it now looked ‘possible’ to break the deadlock on Brexit.
The rebels include a number of former ministers sacked by Mrs May, such as former education secretary Nicky Morgan and former business minister Anna Soubry, along with a number of veteran Europhiles, such as the former attorney general Dominic Grieve and the former chancellor Kenneth Clarke.
They claim fixing the Brexit date in law could limit the Government’s options if more time is needed for talks with Brussels. But critics believe it is a ploy to keep Britain in the EU.
At a ‘stormy’ meeting with government chief whip Julian Smith they threatened to vote down the Government’s attempt to fix the moment of Brexit as 11pm on March 29, 2019.
Yesterday they struck a defiant tone. South Cambridgeshire MP Heidi Allen said: ‘If fighting for the best possible future for our country and our Government is considered mutiny – then bring it on.’
Miss Soubry said: ‘The bullying begins. We want a good Brexit not a hard, ideologically driven Brexit.’
She said her office had received several threats as a result of coverage of her actions and comments, which she said she had reported to the police.
Former minister Bob Neill, another of the rebels, said: ‘The bullies will not succeed, of course. That tone says more about them than us. We will continue to work constructively for the best Brexit possible – that’s our duty – and what parliamentary democracy is all about.’
In a letter in today’s Daily Telegraph they write: ‘We do not seek to delay or thwart Britain’s exit from the EU however much we may regret it.
‘ What looks at first blush an uncontroversial proposal could accidentally harm our country’s interest.
‘Putting a date into law is too rigid. As the negotiations reach their close, the Government may need a small amount of time to conclude, for example, a transitional deal.’
But Mr Campbell Bannerman said: ‘ All Conservative candidates stood on a manifesto only a few months ago to honour the people’s decision to leave the EU.
‘A vote against this commitment would be a huge breach of trust, show contempt for democracy and should lead to their loss of the whip and deselection by the party.’
And Miss Patel warned fellow MPs it was time to trust the British people.
The former international development secretary said: ‘We should not listen to those who do not have confidence in this house, our democracy and our country.
‘They may want to be governed by the EU because they feel unable to govern themselves, but we fundamentally believe that our democratic institutions, and this house in particular, are held to account by the British people, and that we can make laws in all areas covered by the EU. Do we trust the British people, who voted to leave the EU and to move on, or do we want to go against their wishes?’
Tory whips believe they may be able to pick off some of the less committed rebels in the coming weeks and are anxious not to make martyrs of them.
As a result, Mrs May struck a conciliatory tone in the Commons yesterday, saying she was listening carefully to concerns. But local Tories in the rebels’ constituencies urged them to stop destabilising the Government.
Martin Plackett, a Tory councillor in Miss Soubry’s seat, said: ‘I respect my MP tremendously and I respect her stance on these issues. But it does concern me. We’re all Brexiteers now – and I voted Remain – and we have to trust the Government and the PM to get the best deal.’
‘I would be disappointed if she voted against the Government which could bring about a change of government which as far as the Conservatives are concerned would be horrific: a Corbyn government.’ David Hayes, a Conservative councillor in Mrs Morgan’s seat, accused the rebel MPs of behaving appallingly.
‘We should be getting behind this not tabling amendments,’ he said. ‘The opposition and Europe will see this as a sign of weakness. It is making a mockery of politics.
‘Nicky needs to be very clear that she’s representing Loughborough, which voted to Leave, and the Conservative party and she’s got to get behind the vote.’
Richard Haddock, a Tory councillor in Sarah Wollaston’s constituency of Totnes, called on the MP to ‘ stop messing around’.
The farmer, who represents the ward of St Marys with Summercombe, said: ‘Most of us are saying just get on with it, stop messing around, politicians – we’ve had the vote now we need to get it done. The more they play games the more Europe loves it.’
Veteran Eurosceptic Sir Bill Cash dismissed claims that pro-Remain Tories were being bullied for their views. Sir Bill, who this week warned against ‘collaboration’ with Labour, said those MPs had to understand they could spark a ‘constitutional crisis which could end in a general election and a Corbynista government’.
Meanwhile, an ally of German chancellor Angela Merkel has claimed Mrs May is on the verge of making concessions to Brussels over the socalled ‘divorce bill’.
Senior MEP Manfred Weber said following a private meeting in Downing Street that a breakthrough could now be possible.
Do we trust the British people?
A GROUP of 15 Tory MPs fighting to scupper key Brexit legislation whipped themselves into a lather of self-righteous indignation yesterday at being described as ‘mutineers’.
A combination of embittered ex-ministers and backbenchers virtually unknown outside their constituencies, they complained in martyrish terms of being pictured and named on the front page of the Daily Telegraph for taking what they say is a stand on principle.
They talk of ‘blatant bullying’ and ‘bloodcurdling threats’, but remain determined to frustrate the Government’s Brexit vision. One – Heidi Allen – was positively combative. Apparently relishing the coming fight with her own party, she tweeted: ‘Bring it on!’
So the Mail has this question: What are these MPs if not mutineers? There are three compelling reasons why we have sympathy with the Telegraph’s description.
Firstly, they are directly defying the democratic will of the people (and in most cases a majority of their own constituents) who voted Leave in the referendum and now want to get out of the EU as quickly and as smoothly as possible.
They have all indicated they’ll vote against the crucial Government motion to enshrine the date of our EU departure in law, and some have also signed many other motions designed to stall or dilute Brexit.
Secondly, they’re undermining our negotiations in Brussels. Theresa May wants to establish a firm Brexit timetable to serve notice on Michel Barnier and his team that they must stop stonewalling and start talking about a future trade deal. By opposing her, the rebels are encouraging Mr Barnier to think he can prevaricate indefinitely.
And thirdly, by their vanity and obduracy, they are also betraying the national interest by playing into Labour’s hands.
Should they succeed in blocking Brexit, the Government would be seriously weakened and could even fall, leading to the chilling prospect of Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister. If that happens they will never be forgiven – by their party or their country.
Senior Tories have so far declined to go on the attack, hoping that at least some of the rebels can be talked round. This may be true of a few waverers. But we fear most are so entrenched, they’ll never be persuaded.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines mutineer as a person who defies authority and refuses to obey orders. Doesn’t that description fit the rebels to a tee?