Remainer quits over No 10 concessions
A TORY Remainer last night quit his job as a defence minister in protest after Theresa May’s climbdown to Eurosceptic demands over Brexit.
Guto Bebb joined with pro-European Tory rebels to vote against the Government after the Prime Minister backed an amendment by Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Mr Bebb, who campaigned for Remain ahead of the referendum, dramatically quit before walking through the division lobbies to vote against the proposed change. The Government managed to pass the amendment by only three votes as Mr Bebb was joined by 13 other Tory rebels including Ken Clarke, Dominic Grieve, Nicky Morgan, Antoinette Sandbach and Dr Sarah Wollaston.
The amendment demands that the UK should scrap an offer to collect taxes and duties on behalf of the EU unless the remaining 27 member states pledge to do the
same for Britain. Mr Bebb’s resignation comes after nine Brexit- supporting Tories quit their roles over Mrs May’s Chequers plan.
Tory MP Scott Mann yesterday became the ninth as he resigned as a junior ministerial aide in the Treasury, warning he could not accept a ‘watered down’ Brexit and was ‘not prepared to compromise’ on the wishes of many of his constituents.
Justine Greening yesterday became the first senior Conservative to break ranks by calling for a second referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU. The former education secretary, who backed Mrs May’s Chequers deal last week, said she now believed it to be ‘unworkable’ and that voters should be given another say to end the ‘deadlock’ in Parliament.
Sources at Best for Britain, which is campaigning for a second referendum, suggested ten Tory MPs could follow her example.
Mrs May’s spokesman said: ‘ The British public have voted to leave the EU. There is not going to be a second referendum.’