THERESA GETS OUT OF JAIL
In unprecedented Commons scenes PM survives vital Brexit trade vote... thanks to FIVE brave Labour MPs
THERESA May’s government was saved by a handful of Labour Eurosceptics last night as they joined forces to defeat a vote to keep Britain tied to the EU.
Amid dramatic scenes in the Commons, a dozen Tory Remainers defied warnings they would collapse the Government by siding with Jeremy Corbyn in a bid to preserve the customs union with Brussels.
The rebellion came despite desperate warnings from Tory chief whip Julian Smith that defeat on the issue would prompt him to call a vote of confidence in Mrs May today, followed by a possible general election.
Tory insiders said another ten Eurosceptic MPs would have sent in letters of no confidence in Mrs May if she had lost last night’s vote – potentially pushing the total over the 48 needed to spark a leadership challenge.
‘Had we not won we would have been looking at even more letters,’ one said.
Rebels inflicted an early defeat on the Government when they voted to keep Britain tied into the European Medicines Agency after Brexit by 305 votes to 301.
But, minutes later, the tables were reversed as MPs voted by 307 to 301 to reject an amendment to the Trade Bill that would have forced the Prime Minister to pursue a customs union with the EU – something she has ruled out repeatedly, including in last year’s Tory manifesto.
The move is a major boost for Mrs May in her negotiations with Brussels, which had been repeatedly assured by Remainers that there was a majority in Parliament to keep Britain in the customs union. Reacting to the narrow win, one No 10 insider said simply: ‘Thank f*** for that.’
Analysis of the voting record later showed that five Labour MPs voted with the Government: former ministers Frank Field and Kate Hoey and backbenchers John Mann, Graham Stringer and Kelvin Hopkins, who is currently sitting as an independent following suspension.
If they had voted the other way, the Government would have lost by four votes.
Tory MP Nadine Dorries said: ‘If Labour rebels hadn’t stepped in tonight, our own 12 Remain rebels
‘Clueless and disastrous’
would have lost us that vote. Third reading of the Trade Bill would have been pulled, a confidence vote called tomorrow. If that was lost, a general election. That’s how dangerous a game the Conservative Remainers are playing.’
Victory for Mrs May came as Downing Street braced itself for a possible resignation speech by Boris Johnson this afternoon, in which he is expected to criticise the Chequers plan.
And ministers were forced to abandon plans to give MPs an early holiday just 24 hours after they were announced.
Sir John Major warned that Tory infighting over Europe was worse than the 1990s – and claimed ‘fanatical’ Eurosceptics could force an early election. The EU meanwhile was preparing the release of ‘strongly-worded’ emergency guidelines on preparations for a no deal Brexit.
Downing Street yesterday made it clear Mrs May could never accept moves to lock Britain into a customs union after Brexit.
Her official spokesman said: ‘The PM has set out our position on the customs union many times.
‘We will be leaving the customs union – she believes that is what the British people voted for and that is what will leave us free to strike independent trade deals around the world.’
A senior Government source said: ‘Losing this vote would have killed off a major part of the Brexit negotiations as Brussels could have just sat back and waited for parliament to take us into a customs union. Now we can negotiate seriously.’
There was also anger on the Labour benches at the actions of their own Eurosceptic rebels.
Former cabinet minister Ben Bradshaw tweeted: ‘So four Labour MPs and one suspended ex-Labour MP helped save this clueless and disastrous Tory Government tonight. Thanks a lot guys.’
The 12 Tory MPs who ignored the warnings from whips were former ministers Stephen Hammond, Kenneth Clarke, Guto Bebb, Jonathan Djanogly, Dominic Grieve, Phillip Lee, Nicky Morgan, Anna Soubry and Bob Neill and backbenchers Sarah Wollaston, Antoinette Sandbach and Heidi Allen. Mrs Morgan, a former education secretary who was sacked by Mrs May, yesterday insisted she was acting in the national interest.
She added: ‘It is very clear that in this House there is a majority for the customs union to safeguard business and jobs.’
A YouGov poll for The Times has found that Labour’s poll lead over the Conservatives has increased to five points since the Chequers agreement, two weeks ago.
Labour were on 41 per cent, the Tories on 36 per cent, the Lib Dems at 9 per cent and Ukip were on 7 per cent.