Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MY PLACE OR EU’RS, JEZ
» May survives vote thanks to DUP mates » Corbyn: Rule out a catastrophic no-deal
AFTER months of going it alone with her hated Brexit bid, Theresa May last night finally begged rival party leaders for help to push it through.
Yet within minutes, Downing Street insisted the stubborn PM would not budge on the plan that was heavily defeated on Tuesday.
That response came after Jeremy Corbyn told Mrs May he would not enter talks with her unless she took no-deal Brexit off the table.
The PM survived a bid to topple her when she won a no-confidence vote by 325 to 306,thanks largely to her DUP pals and other Tories who just 24 hours earlier had decisively killed off her Brexit plans.
She immediately offered to hold one-to-one talks with Mr Corbyn and other party leaders in a bid to break the deadlock on our EU exit.
But the Labour leader said: “Before there can be any positive discussions about the way forward, the Government must remove clearly once and for all the prospect of the catastrophe of a no-deal Brexit from the EU and all the chaos that would come as a result.”
The PM had said: “I stand ready to work with any member of this House to deliver on Brexit.”
She later confirmed Mr Corbyn had snubbed her invite for talks after she said she met with leaders of the Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru and the SNP. She added: “I am disappointed that the leader of the Labour Party has not so far chosen to take part, but our door remains open.” Mrs May would have lost the no-confidence motion by just one vote had the DUP’S 10 MPS decided to vote against her.
There were accusations of hypocrisy levelled at the 118 Tories who helped bury her Brexit deal on Tuesday and the 117 who brought their own no-confidence bid on her leadership last month after not one Conservative voted against her.
The DUP’S Westminster leader Nigel Dodds faced ridicule when he told MPS: “I’m always delighted when our opponents illustrate the strength of the relationship that we have, and what it is delivering for Northern Ireland.”
Lib Dem Jamie Stone waved a credit card in his face – pointing to the £1billion investment for Northern Ireland the party was promised in return for propping up Mrs May after she blew her majority at the last election.
Labour MPS rubbed imaginary notes between their fingers.
And although Mrs May survived this no-confidence vote, if she refuses DUP demands to dump the backstop, she will require the
I’m delighted when opponents illustrate the strength of our relationship DUP’S NIGEL DODDS ON HIS PARTY’S £1BILLION N. IRELAND DEAL WITH TORIES Will the Prime Minister not just accept she must now modify her red lines VETERAN TORY KEN CLARKE ON MRS MAY’S UNWILLINGNESS TO BUDGE
support of Labour MPS to get a deal. The PM now has four days to try to come up with an alternative Brexit plan. She risks losing control of the process as MPS will be able to amend the fresh motion she tables next Monday.
They are expected to vote on a range of Plan Bs from a Norway-style deal to a second referendum.
Tory rebel Dominic Grieve launched two bills for a second referendum yesterday while on Tuesday his colleague Nick Boles led a crossparty plan for MPS to seize control of Brexit. Both then still voted for Mrs May last night.
And despite the Tories keeping her in office, the fragile party truce was close to breaking point.
Party insiders admitted they were wary of a backlash from the Brexiteer Tories who she depended on to survive last night’s vote. Mrs May’s promise of “constructive” cross-party talks with backbenchers also soured as it became clear she expected her own deal to survive.
The PM has come under intense pressure from within to rip up her Brexit red lines – the areas on her EU withdrawal plan that she refuses to change, such as freedom of movement and leaving the Customs Union.
Tory veteran Ken Clarke said before last night’s vote: “Will the Prime Minister not – just as I have had to accept that the majority of this House is committed to the UK leaving the European Union – accept that she must now modify her red lines?” Justice Secretary David Gauke warned Mrs May she should not be “boxed in” by old promises. Labour’s Yvette Cooper said she had made compromise “impossible”.
EU chiefs said they were prepared to renegotiate the Brexit deal – if Mrs May drops her guarantees.
With just 71 days to go until Brexit Day, she faces huge pressure to extend Article 50 to allow time to reach a fresh deal. Earlier, she appeared to keep the door open to the prospect.
She said at PMQS: “The European Union would only extend Article 50 in the circumstances in which it was going to be possible to come to an agreement on a deal.”