May allies cool on referendum talk
KEY allies of Theresa May have distanced themselves from reports they are involved in planning for a new Brexit referendum.
The Prime Minister’s defacto deputy, Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, and Mrs May’s chief of staff Gavin Barwell, indicated they are not in favour of a new EU withdrawal vote.
The move followed reports that Mr Lidington held talks with Labour MPs last week aimed at getting cross-party consensus for a new referendum.
In response, Mr Lidington tweeted a link to last week’s Hansard record of Parliamentary proceedings, where he set out how a second vote was a possibility, but could be “divisive not decisive”.
Mr Barwell tweeted: “Happy to confirm I am *not* planning a 2nd referendum with political opponents (or anyone else to anticipate the next question)”.
Education Secretary Damian Hinds insisted Cabinet has not discussed a second EU referendum.
Asked if Cabinet had talked about the issue, Mr Hinds said: “No. Government policy couldn’t be clearer. We are here to act on the will of the British people clearly expressed in the referendum.” But former universities minister Sam Gyimah, who quit his post last month over Mrs May’s Brexit deal, said there was “nothing inherently undemocratic” about a second referendum, which he added could “break the deadlock”.
Mr Gyimah said: “Asking the people the same question again, they are at liberty to say back loud and clear they have the same answer. There is nothing inherently undemocratic about asking the question again if Parliament can’t resolve it – and Parliament can’t resolve it because we have a hung Parliament.
“I see it as a democratic way of resolving this impasse as we know Parliament is deadlocked. I would put Remain and the Prime Minister’s deal on the ballot... Compared to the Prime Minister’s deal, Remain is a lot better.”
As Cabinet members tried to dampen talk of a fresh Brexit poll, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox indicated he could support a free vote for MPs on Brexit options.
Asked about a free vote, Dr Fox said: “That’s not something we have considered. I have to say, personally, I wouldn’t have a huge problem with Parliament as a whole having a say on what the options were.”
Dr Fox signalled he thought there could be EU movement in the new year regarding anxieties Brexiteers have that Britain could be “trapped” in the Northern Ireland backstop.
He said: “It’s very clear that the EU understand what the problem is. And it’s a question now, without unpicking the whole of the Withdrawal Agreement, can we find a mechanism of operating the backstop in a way that actually removes those anxieties.
“It will happen over Christmas. It is not going to happen this week. It is not going to be quick.”