DON’T PANIC!
Rees-Mogg admits Tory coup has gone ‘a bit Dad’s Army’
TORY Jacob Rees-Mogg has admitted the plot to oust PM Theresa May has gone a bit “Dad’s Army” after it stalled amid Brexiteer splits.
The Eurosceptic conceded too many MPs thought there should only be a Tory no-confidence ballot if May loses a Commons vote on the package thrashed out with the EU.
Hapless
Asked at a press conference if his attempt to unseat the PM had been exposed as a “Dad’s Army” operation, Rees-Mogg compared himself to the sitcom’s hapless lead character.
“I’ve always admired Captain Mainwaring,” he joked.
He even suggested Mrs May was now “odds on” to lead the party into the next election, although he also said the “strength of feeling” was stronger than the number of letters calling for challenge implied.
Former minister Steve Baker warned it might be the last chance to change leader, adding: “I do think it’s now or never.”
Playing down the humiliation, Rees-Mogg said: “Patience is a virtue, and virtue is a grace.”
And he warned May her Brexit deal would not pass Parliament after she’d “alienated” the DUP.
His comments came as the number of confirmed Tory no-confidence letters stuck at 26 – well short of the 48 needed to trigger a full vote.
The failure to reach the key threshold sparked some bitter recriminations.
One senior MP who submitted a letter jibed: “Where are these great titans of Brexit? The answer is, they’ve bottled it.”